Five-storey Qrendi project sent to Planning Board

An application for a five-storey residential block on the edge of Qrendi's urban conservation area has been referred to the Planning Authority's board, with the planning commission saying the case officer should appear before the board to explain why the proposed height was deemed acceptable.

The referral takes the decision out of the hands of the three-member Planning Commission (Within Development Scheme), chaired by Stephania Baldacchino, and places it before the 13-member Planning Board, the authority's highest decision-making body.

The case officer has recommended approval of the project, which drew more than 1,000 public representations against it. The site lies some 85 metres from Qrendi parish church and opposite the village's primary school.

The commission noted that the case officer had recommended the project for approval and agreed with the proposed height, but it said that the board needed to hear from the case officer on why that height was considered acceptable.

'This is not a case of transition'

Architect Tara Cassar, the only objector to speak at the hearing, said the objectors were insisting the development was not adequate for its context, and that they disagreed with the case officer's assessment.

Citing a string of planning policies, Cassar argued that the aim of the plans was clear: every new development must contribute positively to its surroundings, and dominant design features must be respected.

She said that obligation goes beyond facades to cover heights, massing, volume and density, all of which affect not only how a development looks but how it impacts the area, its skyline and its roofscape.

The site sits between two streets, both of which fall partly within the Urban Conservation Area (UCA), she added.

The prevailing height along both streets is two storeys - in some cases with a washroom or recessed level above. There are no five-storey developments in the immediate context.

Cassar dismissed the applicant's argument that the design created a transition towards the historic core.

"It is pointless to come here and claim some sort of transition has been made," she said. "This is not a case of transition. The character of the context must be respected."

As proposed, she said, the development would break and dominate the skyline and leave blank party walls in the immediate backdrop of the parish church.

The setbacks introduced in the revised plans were superficial, she argued, while the height remained the fundamental problem. There are also no existing commitments in the area to justify the scale, she said, and the proposal does not conform with DC15, which requires the character of the context, including height and volume, to be examined and respected.

Cassar also took aim at the visuals submitted by the applicant, which depict five-storey blocks on neighbouring sites.

These do not show the real effect of the development on its surroundings, she said, because they portray potential heights on adjacent plots which, under planning policy, should not be granted.

For sites immediately outside a UCA, the predominant height within the UCA should apply, she argued.

What does the proposal consist of?

The application ‒ PA/03299/24  ‒ filed by Ciantar Properties Ltd, proposes the restoration of an existing vernacular building at 59, Triq il-Kurat Mizzi, and its integration into a five-floor residential development extending onto vacant land with a frontage on Triq il-Konvoj 1942.

The project would include eight maisonettes, 26 apartments and 12 recessed units, together with two basement levels containing 47 private car garages, seven public service garages and domestic stores.

The site abuts Qrendi’s UCA and lies close to the Outside Development Zone. It is also situated near the parish church and directly opposite the primary school and a school for children with disabilities.

Objectors argued that the project is excessive in scale, out of keeping with the surrounding streetscape, and likely to dominate the village core. They also raised concerns about traffic, parking, infrastructure, excavation impacts, overlooking, construction dust and noise, and the loss of mature garden space that may serve as a habitat for wildlife.

Despite receiving over 1,000 objections, a Planning Authority case officer recommended that the development be approved.