Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540705
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 OCTOBER 2025 NEWS PA set to approve Mriehel development extending into Outside Development Zone THE Planning Authority's De- velopment and Management Directorate is recommending approval for a residential and commercial development in Mrieħel, whose pool area ex- tends into the Outside the De- velopment Zone (ODZ). The recommendation comes despite objections from the En- vironment and Resources Au- thority (ERA) and the Qormi local council. The site, partly vacant and partly occupied by a one-storey store, fronts Triq il-Kummerċ corner with Triq is-Snajja in Mrieħel. The development, proposed by Thomas Grech, seeks per- mission to demolish one floor of existing stores and excavate and construct one basement level for parking spaces. At ground floor level, the propos- al includes four retail outlets, with 50 apartments over the first, second, and third floors and 11 penthouses on a re- cessed top floor. Most of this development is located within the development zone although a 130sq.m exten- sion in the ODZ is being justi- fied as a way to create a high quality stepped down façade. The communal swimming pool and surrounding paved ar- ea cover 325sq.m, all at ground floor level within the ODZ. The case officer cited the Ru- ral Planning and Development Guidance (RPDG) 2014 to jus- tify the pool development. The policy allows swimming pools in ODZ only when associated with legally established accom- modation. In this case, the pool is part of the proposed residen- tial scheme, and the portion of the site within the ODZ is not designated as land of agricul- tural importance. Both the ERA and Qormi council objected to the scheme, citing concerns over devel- opment in ODZ areas. ERA warned that the proposed de- velopment, which encroaches beyond the development zone, could result in the loss of rural land and the intensification of urban uses in the ODZ, making the proposal environmentally unacceptable in its view. The Qormi council also noted that a 15m-long rubble wall present on part of the site is to be dis- mantled. Reporting by James Debono The site, partly vacant and partly occupied by a one-storey store, fronts Triq il-Kummerc corner with Triq is-Snajja in Mriehel The Planning Authority is set to approve a proposed residential and commercial complex in Mrieħel despite strong objections from the Environment and Resources Authority and the Qormi local council