Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1512734
9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 DECEMBER 2023 NEWS THE Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage is opposing the development of a supermarket on a large parcel of ODZ land in Marsaskala. The heritage watchdog de- scribed the proposal as "an unacceptable commitment to extensive and intense develop- ment in an area that deserves to be further rehabilitated and re-integrated with the sur- rounding rural landscape". Plans submitted to the Plan- ning Authority by Retail Mar- keting Limited, the company that owns the Wellbee's super- market chain, foresee the con- struction of a 1,520sq.m super- market and a 520sq.m store at ground floor level within the disused quarry, a roof car park with 97 spaces and photovol- taic panels at roof level. The site is an ODZ area opposite the Marsaskala family park and 150m from a petrol station ap- proved in 2018. While acknowledging that the site was formerly used as a quarry ,the cultural herit- age watchdog noted that the quarrying activity has ceased for a long time, and the site has been partly reclaimed by nature in a way which has led to its reintegration in the ru- ral landscape in the immediate vicinity. The Superintendence con- tends that the existing resi- dential development towards the rear of the site is restricted to the development zone and cannot be used to justify the encroachment of the proposed development on the undevel- oped quarry area that borders "a predominantly rural and cultural landscape, composed of terraced fields, rubble walls and rural paths". Moreover, the Superintend- ence insists the disused quar- ries should be rehabilitated, contributing to the enhance- ment and improvement of the surrounding landscape. But surprisingly, the Environ- ment and Resources Authority has not yet shot down the de- velopment as it did on previous occasions. In a memo issued last week the authority said it is still "re- viewing this application" and "requires additional time to carry out a complete assess- ment". Back in 2017, ERA had ob- jected to an application which envisaged commercial outlets, a drive-thru takeaway, a res- taurant, and offices on the site of the quarry. While acknowledging that the site of the disused quarry and its immediate surroundings do not appear to be environmen- tally sensitive, ERA insisted on the retention of the area as an open space and its possible res- toration into agricultural use in a way that can "improve the overall environmental quality of this rural area". ERA had also expressed its concern that the development would result in further com- mercial development along the urban fringe. More than 100 objections have been presented by resi- dents in the past days. Other objections have been filed by Moviment Graffitti and the Marsaskala Residents Network. Environmental NGO Nature Trust is also objecting to the development noting the long disused former quarry has been "naturalised" to the ex- tent that the rock has taken a natural hue with shrubs includ- ing capers growing along it. The environmental NGO is also objecting to another commercial development on a neighbouring ODZ site. Nature Trust wants the PA to screen and assess the two ap- plications together because of their combined impact on the surroundings and the road in- frastructure. The second commercial de- velopment, encompassing a supermarket, retail outlets, restaurants, and a hotel, is proposed on a 7,212sq.m site outside development bound- aries along Triq Sant Antnin in Marsaskala next to a petrol station approved in 2018. The site is 155 meters away from the supermarket proposed by Wellbees. Superintendence objects to supermarket in disused Marsaskala ODZ quarry The site on a large parcel of ODZ land in Marsaskala earmarked for the development of a supermarket JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt THE Planning Authority has received a total of 124,918 representations from 113,118 different citizens on a total of 54,688 planning applications in five years. Representations mostly consist of ob- jections presented by citizens opposed to planning applications. The data covers objections submitted between January 2018 and November 2023. This means that in the past six years the authority has received an average of 59 objections every day. But the number of objections fluctuated between an av- erage of 90 a day in 2018 and 36 a day during 2020 during the pandemic. In 2021 the number of objections rose again to an average of 82 a day but de- clined to 49 a day in 2022 and to 42 a day in the first eleven months of 2023. The largest number of objections (17,091) were presented against projects proposed in Pembroke. Most of these objections were presented against the DB project. Other localities which presented many objections where Sliema (8,234), Rabat (8,084) and San Giljan (5,056). More than half of the objections pre- sented in Rabat were presented in 2018 when the locality's local council was objecting to a proposal to turn two his- toric Rabat townhouses into a boutique hotel. The small locality of Mgarr also saw 3,435 objections, most presented in 2021 when the community was opposing a massive solar farm proposed on agricul- tural land. Ghajnsielem saw 3,165 objections of which 2,426 were presented in 2022, a year dominated by controversy on the Comino development. The information was provided by Plan- ning Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi in reply to a parliamentary question by Jerome Caruana Cilia. PA receives average of 60 objections a day in five years Data tabled in parliament shows that on average in past six years the PA has received 59 objections a day against projects proposed in different localities