A stretch of arable land Żurrieq, equivalent to the size of 70 tennis courts, could be converted into a residential complex following the Planning Authority’s recommendation to approve a zoning change.

The Planning Control Application (PC/61/22), in the Nigret area, would open up the land to construct five blocks across the 18,302-square-metre plot.

Four of these three-and-a-half-storey blocks are earmarked for apartments, while one is designated for “social and community facilities”.

The new blocks will occupy approximately two-thirds of the entire plot. A tenth of the area will be taken up by a road, and a quarter will be allocated to open spaces, according to the zoning plans proposed by Tum Invest.

The case officer assigned to evaluate the zoning application recommended that it be approved because the site is within the development zone and adheres to local plans.

In a statement, the residents’ group Għaqda Residenti Żurrieq criticised both the zoning application and the Planning Authority's recommendation.

“The Planning Authority cannot keep approving these applications as if the land will never run out,” they said in a statement.

“We cannot continue to ignore this systematic destruction of Nigret and Żurrieq,” they said.

They said Żurrieq will soon have nothing to be proud of because of overdevelopment.

Żurrieq, particularly the Nigret area, has recently been the focus of several zoning changes.

This application is located directly across from another site undergoing a zoning change, which could lead to the development of an additional 12,000 square metres of arable land.

Tum Invest has had another zoning application in the area approved. That decision allowed the conversion of 9,745 square metres of arable land into apartments.

What is a zoning application?

A zoning application is a formal submission to the Planning Authority requesting approval to change the designated use of a piece of land.

It is the first step in converting an arable field into a development.

When the Planning Authority decides on re-zoning, they should take into account policies such as local plans and Malta’s overarching planning document, the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development.

After a piece of land is rezoned via a Planning Control Application, the Planning Authority would still need to approve a planning application before any construction work can begin.