Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1505323
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 9 AUGUST 2023 NEWS NEWS JAMES DEBONO THE Paola local council is opposing the development of a five-storey block con- sisting of 22 apartments on a 300sq.m corner site in the Lourdes area. The council's objection refers to the adverse visual impact of the proposed 17.5m-high development on a site part- ly located in the urban conservation ar- ea where only two floors are allowed. But the council is mostly objecting to the intensification of use, which the lo- cality "cannot sustain." The proposed development is between Triq Brittanja and Triq Valletta. Its proponent is Silvan Mizzi, a business partner of construction mogul Joseph Portelli in a company called Trivium Projects. The council blamed the intensity of the proposed development and similar developments being proposed in Pao- la, on the designation of a "vast area of Paola" as a Student Priority Area. The Development Control Design Pol- icy approved in 2015 designated prop- erties located in a 350m radius around the entire external perimeter of the University of Malta, the Junior College, the Mater Dei hospital, the Gozo gen- eral hospital and the MCAST campuses in Paola and Naxxar as Student Priority areas. The council was not consulted before this policy was introduced. While in all other areas in Malta and Gozo the number of one-bedroomed apartments is capped at 20% of the total number of apartments which can be ap- proved in any project, no such capping applies to projects proposed in Student Priority Areas. And while two-bedroom apartments must respect a minimum size of 90sq.m, one-bedroom apartments can be built over 55sq.m. In an objection filed by council ar- chitect Jesmond Mugliett, the council noted that in this case the developer is proposing an office and 22 maisonettes on a small plot of 300sq.m. In this case 21 of the proposed apart- ment consist of one bedroom studio apartments and one of these apartments is even smaller than 55sq.m. The council also noted that two of the apartments on each floor will ob- tain their lighting from an internal yard which is only 1.5m wide - not sufficient to provide an adequate level of privacy particularly to the bedrooms and bath- rooms overlooking this shaft. The council claims that this is in breach of policies and will result in a substandard development with a "slum- my outlook." The Paola local council also objected to the shortfall in the parking spaces resulting from the development, noting that only seven garages are proposed. The council warned that the designa- tion of a large part of Paola as a student priority area is increasing the pressure to demolish existing houses, so these are redeveloped as studio apartments. The council warned that this policy is resulting in a "proliferation of kerbside parking", since these developments do not usually provide for all the parking required. Moreover, this is happening at a time when parking problems in Paola are being exacerbated by the in- crease of offices located in the area, the growth of the MCAST campus and the development of a new regional hospital. How to fit 22 apartments in a 300sq.m plot in Paola Council objecting to development of five storey development consisting of small studio apartments while taking aim at a policy which removed 20% capping on one- bedroom apartments, within a 350-metre range around the entire perimeter of the MCAST campus The proposed 17.5m-high development is for a site partly located in a UCA zone where only two floors are allowed A motorcyclist was grievously injured on Monday after a traffic ac- cident in Luqa. According to police, the accident happened at around 3:30pm on Vjal l-Avjazzjoni. The accident involved a crash between a Honda motorcycle, driven by a 23-year-old man from Mqabba, and a Citroen Berlin- go driven by a 48-year-old man from Marsaskala. A medical team was on site to deliver first aid. The motorcyclist was taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance for further care. Police investigations are ongoing. Motorcylist injured after Luqa traffic accident