Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1510125
16 SURVEY maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 OCTOBER 2023 JAMES DEBONO A new development, comprising a bank branch, three levels of residential apart- ments, and four underground garages, is being proposed for a currently vacant corner site in Santa Venera. The site is located between St Joseph High Street and Triq Abela, which is a cul- de-sac, and the development is being pro- posed by Bank of Valletta. Drawings depicting the external eleva- tion of the building are not publicly avail- able since the law exempts banks, airports, and buildings related to national security from the obligation to publish plans and documents that could raise security con- cerns. The number of floors being proposed was only disclosed in an impact assessment memo issued by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage, but the actual plans re- main inaccessible to the public. The conservation group Din l-Art Helwa has called for more transparency regarding this development. While acknowledging the need to restrict certain documents for security reasons, they argue that plans showing the build- ing's external elevations within the exist- ing streetscape should not be considered sensitive information and should be made available to the public. Nevertheless, the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has access to the plans, which refer to "residential apartments at the first, second, and receded floor levels." Given the location within the Urban Con- servation Area, the Superintendence is urging the avoidance of blank party walls. They have also welcomed the inclusion of traditional elements in the proposed facade on St Joseph High Street. Howev- er, the Superintendence has deemed the repeated use of doorways at ground floor level and closed balconies at the first floor as an unorthodox application of these tra- ditional elements. They suggest that a de- sign more like that of the traditional town- houses in the same area would be more appropriate. The Superintendence has also cautioned the applicant about the possibility of exca- vations uncovering underground channels and terracotta pipes that were part of the Wignacourt Aqueduct. The Santa Venera local council has re- quested access to review the submitted proposed drawings to allow for a more in-depth assessment and discussion of the application. The council will present its comments on the proposal in due course but has already expressed concerns about the potential traffic impact, particularly on Triq Abela, given the possible entrances and exits of vehicles from an existing cul-de-sac, which currently results in manouvering issues. The Bank had previously submitted an application to develop four levels of offices on the same site in 2019, but the applica- tion which had a more contemporary de- sign, was later withdrawn. The 840sq.m site where the new bank branch is being proposed consists of a vacant plot where a one-storey structure had been previous- ly demolished following the approval of a residential block, which was never con- structed. JAMES DEBONO EXCEL Investments,co-owned by developer Joseph Portelli and Dirjanu supermarket own- er Mark Agius, is proposing the excavation of an enormous 4,000sq.m site in Msida. The area is currently occupied by warehouses and is situated be- tween Trejqa ta' Boxbox and Triq it-Torri, uphill from Valley Road. The excavations will abut on a row of listed buildings which were granted Grade 2 scheduling in 2017. While a planning application envisaging the excavation of two basement levels has been pub- lished, another application pro- posing a replacement building has been under wraps for the past three months. According to the PA's public in- formation system, the application (PA 3117/23) has not yet been fully submitted and the plans will only be made available when the application is considered com- plete. Excel Investment has also pre- sented a zoning application to change the building alignment by introducing a new pedestrian passage splitting the site in two, and thus enabling the developers to build deeper in the site. This planning stratagem is fre- quently used to circumvent PA rules banning internal develop- ment within sites lacking internal access roads. The zoning application present- ed in March is still being consid- ered by the Planning Authority. Following a site inspection Su- perintendence for Cultural Her- itage has not objected to plans to demolish the warehouses which are deemed to have no cultur- al heritage value but has alerted the developer on the presence of a World War II air raid shelters which cannot be destroyed. Moreover, the SCH noted that the site earmarked for develop- ment abuts a row of scheduled townhouses of considerable cul- tural heritage value. In view of this the Superintend- ence has called for a 3m buffer between the excavated area and the the scheduled buildings on Triq it-Torri. It has also asked the developer to identify the precise location of the air raid shelters so these can be preserved and to present a works method state- ment detailing the measures tak- en to ensure that no harm is done to the row of listed townhouses. The SCH said it will call for fur- ther mitigation measures to en- sure that the scheduled buildings are not negatively impacted by the proposed development, once plans for the proposed develop- ment are presented. The public consultation on the application to redevelop the site will only commence when the application is published in full. New BOV branch with overlying apartments proposed in Santa Venera Portelli seeks excavation permit for massive Msida development as building plans remain under wraps The site abuts on a row of scheduled town houses seen above which the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage wants to protect