Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546155
9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 AUGUST 2026 NEWS PA case officer recommends homes on disused mushroom farm in Tas-Salib THE Planning Authority's De- velopment Management Di- rectorate is recommending approval in principle for the redevelopment of the disused Chadwick Mushroom Farm at Tas-Salib, Rabat, into a clus- ter of eight villas of around 150 sq.m each. The mushroom farm was located about 300m away from the main settlement in the Tas-Salib hamlet. The application presented by Suzanne Portelli's Chadwick Mushroom Farm Ltd, is due to be decided by the Planning Commission on 2 September 2026 and involves the dem- olition of the existing mush- room farm buildings on a site of around 9,400 square metres and their replacement with residential units described by the applicant as an "eco-com- munity farm". Part of the site at the rear would be retained for agricul- tural purposes, with ERA re- quiring that this area remain undeveloped and protected from future construction. Despite that description, the outline permission being rec- ommended would establish the principle of Class 1 residential development on the site. The case officer estimates that up to eight homes could eventually be accommodated, based on the site's 53.2-metre frontage onto the public road and a six-metre frontage allow- ance for each dwelling. The application also illus- trates how residential develop- ment can be considered within Malta's Outside Development Zone (ODZ) through the pol- icies governing rural settle- ments (hamlets). The site is within the Cat- egory 2 Rural Settlement of Tas-Salib, and the Develop- ment Management Directorate is assessing the proposal under Policy NWR 3 of the North West Local Plan, as amended by the 2025 Partial Review for Rural Settlements. This policy allows dwelling units, including new units on uncommitted land, within des- ignated Category 2 rural set- tlements, subject to limits on their size, height, access and impact on the surrounding ru- ral landscape. The outline application does not, however, approve a spe- cific layout or a fixed number of homes. The eventual num- ber would be determined by the site's road frontage, while the location, design, height, landscaping, parking and oth- er details would have to be as- sessed through a subsequent full application. No swimming pools are being proposed at this stage. Each dwelling would be limit- ed to a maximum footprint of 150 square metres and between 120 and 200 square metres of total floorspace. Buildings would be limited to two floors above road level, with a base- ment permitted. The site falls within the wider Area of High Landscape Value covering Chadwick Lakes, Fid- dien and surrounding areas. However, the proposed devel- opment is at Tas-Salib and is not in close proximity to Chad- wick Lakes themselves. The recommendation comes despite repeated objections from the Planning Authority's Agriculture Advisory Commit- tee. The committee noted that the applicant is not registered with the Agriculture Directorate and that part of the site is regis- tered to a third party. It main- tained its objection in 2024, 2025 and again in June 2026, arguing that the proposal was not for agricultural purposes. The Development Manage- ment Directorate said this did not prevent the application from being assessed under the rural settlement policy, noting that registration as a farmer is not required for residential pro- posals falling under the policy. The proposal follows a pre- vious application for the same site in 2019, which sought eight residential units. That applica- tion was refused and the refusal was subsequently confirmed by the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal. The Tribunal had ques- tioned whether the existing mushroom farm was genuine- ly dilapidated and whether it remained suitable for agricul- tural use. It also indicated that any residential development in the area should be positioned close to the public road rather than deeper into the site. The new application includes a condition report stating that the existing buildings are now in a dilapidated and unsafe condition and that their reha- bilitation is considered unfea- sible. A separate assessment sub- mitted by the applicant argues that the site is no longer suita- ble for mushroom farming and would not be financially viable for livestock farming. The Development Manage- ment Directorate has accepted this reasoning and considers that the existing farm can now be demolished. The Environment and Re- sources Authority has raised no objection to the outline proposal, subject to the devel- opment being integrated into its surroundings, appropriate landscaping being provided and the rear part of the site being retained for agriculture with no future development. The Superintendence of Cul- tural Heritage has also raised no objection, although it has warned that the design and building profiles may need to be refined to reduce visual im- pacts. The area has high archaeolog- ical sensitivity, with numerous cart ruts and other rock-cut features recorded in the sur- rounding area. Any approved works will have to be archaeo- logically monitored. The Development Manage- ment Directorate considers the proposed scheme an op- portunity to remove what it describes as a dilapidated and unusable building and replace it with a low-density devel- opment designed around the original topography of the site. If approved on 2 September 2026, the outline permission would be valid for five years. No construction could begin until a full development appli- cation is approved. The Planning Authority's Development Management Directorate is recommending outline approval for up to eight homes on a disused mushroom farm in Tas-Salib, raising questions about residential development instead of farms in ODZ rural settlements JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt The mushroom farm was located about 300m away from the main settlement in the Tas-Salib hamlet