Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1523079
9 maltatoday | THURSDAY • 26 JUNE 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Phantom block included in visuals showing scale of Qajjenza development DEVELOPER Paul Attard has presented a set of visuals show- ing how the massive residential development proposed on the 23,000sq.m site of the de-com- missioned Qajjenza gas filling plant will impact its surround- ings. The visuals presented by Plan Limited, a company owned by Attard, show a development consisting of six blocks with a height of between 22m and 35.5m. But Birżebbuġa residents who viewed the renders of the proposed development on the Planning Authority's website, were surprised to learn that ex- isting sea front dwellings could be replaced by a massive sea front block. The massive sea- front block depicted in the vis- uals is not part of the gas site, prompting fears that the Qajj- enza development is set to take up the entire sea front. It turns out that the front block on the left-hand side of the development, on land which belongs to third parties, was included "merely to show the potential height" of res- idential blocks which can be allowed in this area according to existing policies and thus ensure a "more precise visual interpretation", project archi- tect Stephan Vancell told Mal- taToday. In this way rather than show- ing the visual impact of the new development on the exist- ing situation, the renders are showing the visual impact of the new development in a hy- pothetical scenario in which all owners in the area opt to sell their properties for a compre- hensive and uniform develop- ment. The project's architect also made it clear that the site con- figuration of the project has not changed from the original one and is still limited to the decommissioned site. In fact, no planning applica- tions have been presented to transform the entire row of dwellings along the waterfront. But owners can individually apply to knock down existing houses according to the pres- ent height limitation. The local plan limits the height of dwellings along the Qajjenza coastline to four floors, but this height is trans- lated to 22m in more recent policies. The visual renders show a sea front block rising to six floors, one of which receded. Most of the existing sea front buildings rise up to four floors. The renders also replace a row of inland 3 floor buildings along Triq l-Ghannej which will be directly touching on the proposed development re- placed by five storey blocks. On the other hand, the zoning application seeks to change the local plan which limits devel- opment in the area to between three and four floors and re- serves a significant part of the decommissioned Enemalta site for the development of a boat yard. The renders also include the concrete canopy, built in rein- forced concrete and in a mod- ernist style, which is being retained in plans of the new development. Nearly 400 residents and the local council have objected to the development of the site for residential development, and want it retained either as a green open space or for community and recreational facilities. Over two-thirds of the land covered by the planning con- trol application presented by Paul Attard's Plan Limited is owned either by the govern- ment company Enemalta or the Lands Authority. During the recent electoral campaign Prime Minister Rob- ert Abela had taken a commit- ment that "whatever land is un- der the government's control... that land will only be used for the benefit of the community." Attard presents application on northern part of site In the meantime, Paul Attard has already presented a plan- ning application for the de- velopment of two apartment blocks on the northern part of the site covered by the zoning application. This application can only be approved after a decision is taken on the zoning application covering the entire 23,000sq.m site. The application on 7,870sq.m of land was presented on the part of the site which is not owned by Enemalta or the gov- ernment. In the application Attard declared that he has the consent of the owner of the site to carry forward the applica- tion. Plans foresee the excavation of an underground parking and the erection of two 29-meter high (9 storey) blocks, one con- sisting of 108 apartments and another of 96 apartments. This application was present- ed concurrently with the zon- ing application in May 2023 but was only published on the Planning Authority's website in the past days.