Naxxar local council objects to rezoning of land for 'affordable housing'

Naxxar local council is objecting to a proposal to rezone land in the town to allow the construction of 'affordable housing,' arguing that a previous project that included a disability hub and large area of green space would have been more appropriate. 

PC/00079/25, submitted on behalf of the Foundation for Affordable Housing, calls for a “change of zoning and development parameters of land from community facility as designated by PC/00038/16 to development of class 1 dwellings, class 4B, 4C and 4D commercial uses. 

In 2017, the Planning Authority approved plans for a mixed use complex  for persons with disabilities on Triq It-Torri Tal-Kaptan in Naxxar, close to the former trade fair grounds.

The original plan consisted of four fully detached blocks, surrounded by a large landscaped open area, and an underground car park. It would also have featured residences, retail outlets, office space, workshops, a hostel, a therapy centre and gym. Its purpose was to create a community hub, where persons with disability living on or visiting the site could have full access to all the facilities.  

Excavations began in 2019, but two years later, Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg asked in parliament why the project remained at a standstill. She said residents had suffered various inconveniences caused by the works, including dust and the presence of rats. Buttigieg added that the project was meant to cost €32 million, co-funded by the European Union. 

In a video posted on the council’s Facebook page, mayor Chris Deguara said the council was in favour of the previous project because “it struck a balance between what was needed, and 8,000 square metres that would have been given back to the public as open space.” 

Instead, he said, a distribution centre had started being constructed, “eating up” the land.  

On the other hand, he said, the council opposed the rezoning application since it would take up a further 1,6000 square metres. “For us, this is not a sustainable, balanced project at a time when there residents are suffering the effects of traffic and when there is a need for more greening projects.”

Instead of the housing project, the council is proposing a green space with sports and recreational facilities. Photo: Naxxar Local Council

The council’s alternative, he said, was a green, open-air space that would include sports and recreational facilities, as well as underground parking, and showed an AI-generated render of what it could look like.  

He called on the Labour Party and Nationalist Party to listen to the local council and residents’ concerns.