Five-storey care home in Żabbar square approved by PA

A proposed five-storey elderly home in Żabbar's square, across from the parish church, was approved by the Planning Authority after being downsized from seven storeys.

The planning commission, responsible for applications within the development scheme, unanimously voted Tuesday in favour of the case officer's recommendation to approve the application.

The site is located at Misraħ tal-Madonna Medjatriċi and Triq Ganni Bonavia. The square includes the Notre Dame Hall, the Żabbar Sanctuary Museum, and Dar Sagra Familja, a children's home run by the Church. Next door to the Żabbar Sanctuary Museum lies  Żabbar’s parish church.

The plan, submitted by Daniel Zahra through architect James Bonnici Camilleri, is to demolish a two-storey building while retaining the façade to construct the elderly home.

Drawings of the elderly home. Photo: Planning Authority

The development will include a basement level with a car park for 19 spaces, a kitchen, a morgue, and a laundry room.

The ground floor will host the lobby, offices, a chapel, a dining hall, and an outdoor area for residents. The rest of the floors will be occupied by 32 residential rooms housing 73 residents.

New plans

On Tuesday, Bonnici Camilleri presented new visuals to the board, explaining that the development will rise to 17.5 metres, the maximum allowable height according to the local plan.

Previously, applicants had submitted plans for a seven-storey development, leveraging the height limitation adjustment policy for retirement homes.

But this policy may only apply if the development integrates with the urban context, and in this case, the PA decided that the initial drawings did not fulfil this requirement.

Prior to the revised drawings, the application received more than 50 objections.

'Development to confuse square architecture'

Architect Nathaniel Sammut, speaking on behalf of the local council, said the maximum height of 17.5 metres should not be applied as the site does not integrate with the urban context.

“This square is characterised by predominantly three-storey buildings of traditional and architectural value,” he said, adding that the proposal lies on the border of the locality’s Urban Conservation Area (UCA) and within 100 metres of the parish church.

“This development will confuse the setting and architectural language of the square,” he said.

The architect also raised concerns about the car ramp used to access the basement level, warning it could cause congestion in the area due to it being located on Triq Ganni Bonavia, a narrow road.

Council-planned home

Mayor Jorge Grech raised similar points but also mentioned how the local council have plans, alongside the Archdiocese of Malta, to transform Dar Sagra Familja into an elderly home. Thus, it would be unsustainable to have two elderly homes in the area, he said. 

The board dismissed both arguments, saying that the proposed building did not exceed the height limitation nor impact the context of the area.