Plans for three apartment blocks in Żurrieq’s former ODZ land spark objections

37 apartments are set to be built on arable land

Dozens have objected to the construction of three mega blocks in Żurrieq’s Nigret area after the former ODZ area was recently rezoned.

The Nigret area had been earmarked for development under the 2006 'rationalisation' scheme.

Developer James Barbara then submitted a planning control application signed by former PN planning minister George Pullicino. The PA’s executive council voted unanimously to allow development to take place on the arable land in July 2023.

Over the last few weeks, three applications for apartment blocks have been submitted in the area that together would see the construction of 37 apartments and maisonettes.

PA/1042/26, filed by Francis Agius on behalf of F Agius Developers, will see a four-storey block built on the site, including a maisonette, 10 apartments and a penthouse with a pool. The application also includes excavation works to build eight garages at the semi-basement level.

PA/01822/26 would see excavation for basement garages, four maisonettes at ground floor level, 12 apartments from the first to the third floor, and four penthouses at the top level.

That application has been filed by Josef Dimech, who also applied for PA/01847/26, which would see the construction of five other apartments spread over five storeys.

In a statement, local residents’ group Residenti taż-Żurrieq called on the public to object to the applications.

While the application filed by Francis Agius has surpassed the objection deadline, there is still time to object to the other two proposed developments, they said.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.