Environment authority has no objection to school on ODZ land
Cultural Heritage watchdog concerned about the impact on vernacular buildings and country lane
The Environment Resource Authority has no objection “from an environmental perspective” to building a four-storey private school on ODZ land.
However, the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage said it was concerned about the impact the school would have on a nearby vernacular building, that is characteristic of the area and culture, and a country lane.
Both entities made their submissions to the planning application to build a four-storey private school for 800 students on land outside the development zone (ODZ).
The application - PA/02248/25 - was filed by architect Michael Camilleri on behalf of Newark School Malta. The proposed development will include the relocation of an existing Primary and Secondary School. The new development – located on Tal-Balal Road corner with Ibraġ Road in San Ġwann – would include a nursery, kinder, primary and secondary school.
The educational facility will also include a multipurpose hall, a library, science and IT labs, a sub-station and other ancillary facilities.
In its submission, ERA said it has “no objection for this proposal from an environmental perspective.” The authority asked for the submission of existing and projected traffic for further assessment. It also recommended good acoustic design to address road traffic noise.
It added: “The wider compatibility of the proposed use with the surrounding industrial uses in the vicinity would need to be addressed further through the mainstream development permit procedure."
No mention was made about the air quality in a school area – a point raised in the objections made by the San Ġwann local council that, amongst other things, noted that the site was close to a construction site and industrial area that created high levels of particulate matter. This reduced the air quality in the area.
In its submissions, the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage said it "immediately expresses concern regarding the possible impact on the perception of the nearby vernacular building as well as the country lane." It called for the submission of more images to show the location of the proposed building in relation to the vernacular buildings and the lane.
The San Ġwann's local council, the Swieqi local council and NGO Moviment Graffitti are amongst the registered objectors who are insisting that “ODZ land should remain ODZ".
They went on to add that the application was for the relocation of the school. But the current school was in a development zone, in Parisio Street, Sliema. Besides, the construction of a school ODZ was nowhere in the Rural Policy and Design Guidance (RPDG) policy document and there was no justification for a four-storey school on an ODZ plot.
Even though the site was adjacent to St Michael's School, also ODZ, that school was granted permission in 2004, before the publication of the Local Plans and the RPDG document. That school therefore, did not represent a "commitment".