The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has given clearance to the proposed construction of a 252-bed, four-storey home for the elderly in a disused quarry outside the development zone in Mqabba.

The project will now go before the Planning Authority (PA).

If approved, the residence will have three floors of guest rooms as well as facilities such as an underground car park, gardens, a crafts room, a lounge, a chapel, a mortuary and a bereavement room.

Conditions imposed on developers

The application was filed by infrastructure firm Bonnici Brothers.

Under the proposal, structures and boundary walls in Valletta Road will be demolished and parts of the quarry refilled and landscaped.

The proposed building has a footprint of 7,650 square metres within a site of 18,976 square metres.

An environmental impact assessment concluded that the development would have a detrimental effect on views but no major impacts on the environment.

The ERA board has imposed a number of conditions on the developers, who must use the excavated soil for landscaping on site, transplant uprooted trees, rehabilitate the remaining quarry site and use earthy colours for the façade.

Lighting must also be downward facing to minimise light pollution.