Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1511791
16 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 NOVEMBER 2023 JAM ES DEBONO THE Lands Authority will wait for the Planning Authority's verdict on a zoning applica- tion in Qajjenza before it con- siders transfering public land to a private developer. The Lands Authority owns part of the site that once housed Enemalta's gas cyl- inder facility in Birżebbuġa, which is now earmarked for real estate development. "Before commencing dis- cussions with the owners of the site", a spokesperson told MaltaToday, the authority will await for the PA's verdict. But the Lands Authority confirmed that it has issued its consent to the zoning ap- plication presented by de- veloper Paul Attard which earmarks the site for the con- struction of four apartment blocks and two office blocks with a height of between four and eight floors. The application also seeks to amend the local plan which limits development in the ar- ea to between three and four floors and reserves a signifi- cant part of the site for the de- velopment of a boat yard. The Lands Authority insists that it only owns "four small plots" of land within the area which account for 14% of the site. Information filed by the de- veloper shows that Enemalta owns 13,561sq.m, the govern- ment 3,408sq.m and an addi- tional 6,273sq.m are held by private owners. The privately owned part of the site includes land expro- priated by the government in 1978 which was the subject of a series of decisions by the Eu- ropean Court of Justice which ordered the return of the land to its owners. Enemalta which had also confirmed issuing its consent to the application had previ- ously told MaltaToday that Attard's application "does not impinge" on the company's ownership of a substnatial part of the site. Energy Minister Miriam Dalli had also endorsed the decision of the corporation's board of directors to grant consent to the application insisting this is meant to set planning param- eters for development on the site. She also described the land owned by Enemalta as "an im- portant financial asset" for the corporation which is in its ma- jority owned by the state. More than 300 objections have been presented to At- tard's zoning application in- cluding that of the Birżebbuġa local council, which insists that it should be allocated for priority projects including ur- ban greening projects, small scale sports facilities and an old people's home. Lands Authority to discuss transfer of its land in Qajjenza after PA decision