Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1522634
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 JUNE 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt A large, 30 sq.m 'agricultural' store would enjoy the breathtaking views of San Blas beach and the sur- rounding countryside in Nadur, if approved by the Planning Authority. Applicant Nathaniel Grima wants to demolish an unroofed ruin along the narrow Triq San Blas, op- posite a large natural boulder, to rebuild "a pre-1978 agricultural store" with basement, which means ex- cavating the highly sensitive area. The plans by leading Gozitan architect Alex Bigeni show the new store will consist of weathered, un- painted franka stone, and timber apertures painted in white. The 2014 rural policy allows the PA to permit "the total redevelopment" of any pre-1978 agricultural building, as long as the same floor space is retained. In this case the applicant will not even be required to prove this store is required for agricultural reasons, as is the case with brand new stores. And while the size of new stores are limited by tha of the agricultur- al holding, the reconstruction of older structures has to be the same size as the original building. The only condition is that the replacement building has "high quality rural design" and "fully respect the wider context in which it is located". The policy does not apply to vernacular buildings that cannot be demolished but only restored and rehabilitated: these are countryside buildings con- taining features "which reflect local needs, traditions, and construction materials." The development is being proposed in buffer zone for an Area of Ecological Importance. Over the past years the PA's rural policy has paved the way for a proliferation of agricultural stores in the countryside. A draft policy set to replace the one approved in 2014, which removed any reference to the redevelopment of countryside ruins, has been pending approval since 2020 when it was proposed by former environment minister Aaron Farrugia. San Blas ruins want 'room with a view' PA permit Applicant wants rebuilding of countryside ruin overlooking picturesque San Blas beach in Nadur PA ignores Ombudsman WHILE some pre-election car- rots fell onto the laps of environ- mentalists and residents – one of them was stopping any yacht marina in Marsaskala – the gov- ernment was busy devising a new policy that gives developers higher limits in towns limited to three or four storeys. Now it has gone full circle: First by converting building height limits from 'storeys' to metres as specified in the last 2015 policy, which allowed developers to squeeze more floors; now, it enshrines these allowable storeys with a new height limit in the latest policy tweak. The draft policy clarifies con- flicting interpretations on al- lowable building heights in the face of several legal challenges against PA decisions. While specifying the num- ber of floors allowed within the metric heights set by the 2015 policy, in most areas the new policy will allow an extra floor over and above what was allowed. And in so doing, the govern- ment is disregarding the plan- ning ombudsman's advice that pending any review of local plans, the local plans should be "be rigorously respected". How heights policies are being tweaked The 2015 policy had paved the way for a construction boom in many Maltese localities as it became more profitable to knock down older buildings, to build five-storey blocks where previously only three or four storeys was allowed. In February 2024, the PA started a public consultation on "clarifying" the provisions of these building heights, to "specify the number of allow- able levels for all the ranges of facade heights and overall heights in metres." The proposal came about be- cause the PA's own interpreta- tions of the 2015 policy were being challenged by both its appeals tribunal (EPRT) and the courts, "creating a level of uncertainty in the development management process." In May, another consultation was launched on a draft policy, that now specifies the number JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt