Mepa has approved planning permission for a new 87 room four star hotel with related catering facilities, open-air amenities and an underlying car park in Marsalforn.

It said the new hotel, at the bottom end of Triq ir-Rabat, will provide the Gozitan tourism market with a quality accommodation development in accordance with the Height Limitation Adjustment Policy for Hotels, which was last updated and approved in 2014.

The development will also include a water feature and a garden area at the back of the hotel.

The Mepa Board imposed a planning gain of €10,000 which will be used to improve and upgrade other areas of Marsalforn. 

FREEPORT EXTENSION DECISION POSTPONED

The Mepa board this afternoon postponed a decision on the renewal of a permit for the extension of the west quay of Terminal 1 at the Malta Freeport. It said more time was needed for examination of the submissions.

A permit to extend the quay and dredging of the fairway was originally granted in 2007.

At a hearing this afternoon, the project architect said the dredging works had taken longer than expected, prompting the application for an extension.

The application was met with heavy opposition by the Birżebbuġa local council and residents’ groups, who argued that the proposed development moved the Freeport closer to the town’s residential area, and disrupted recreational activities at the Sailing Club and Regatta Club.

Mayor Kevin Barun added that noise and vibration from the works had caused extensive inconvenience and even structural damage to residences in the area.

An issue was also raised with regards the payment of a €750,000 planning fee gain, which had been waived by Cabinet after being imposed by Mepa in granting the original application.

Speaking on behalf of the local council, architect Carmel Caccopardo said the fee had to be imposed as no application had been accepted for its removal.

He added that an extension of five years imposed too much of a burden on residents, who should not be punished for poor planning of the works.

The project architect argued that the fee related to a stage of the works that had already been completed. He said that a two year extension would be sufficient to complete the works.

The board decided to postpone a decision to allow for a more holistic consideration, including of a soon-to-be-published detailed noise survey, which will also include mitigation measures.