The Planning Authority has postponed a decision on an application to build a home for the elderly on outside development zone land in Naxxar, sending the applicant back to the drawing board to reduce the overall height and massing of the proposal.
The project is being proposed by Naxxar councillor and minority leader Mario Brincat, with Samuel Formosa as its architect. Brincat is a shareholder and co-founder of CE Installations, a local construction firm.
PA board members found that the proposed home for the elderly was too large for the area, noting that a one-storey farm being proposed for demolition, was being replaced by a three-storey home for the elderly with 47 rooms between Naxxar and Għargħur.
The board demanded the removal of services from the roof and the overall reduction in the height of each storey.
Apart from recommending the project for approval, the case officer recommended a €62,000 planning gain as well as a €6,400 bank guarantee covering proposed landscaping. He also proposed a public deed through which the developer will be committed to use the building only as a nursing home.
The decision to postpone came after a 90-minute discussion during which objectors made their case against the need for a home for the elderly in an ODZ area in Naxxar, which will stand out from its surroundings since it was surrounded by agricultural fields.
Formosa insisted that the footprint of the proposed old people’s home was smaller than the footprint presently occupied by the disused farm.
The Environmental and Resource Authority described the development as “unacceptable”.
What the project will look like. Photo: PA“While the site is already occupied by a disused farm and is not located within a virgin rural area, the massing of the proposal is considered visually intrusive and will dominate an area located at the rural/urban interface with little scope of mitigation through landscaping,” ERA said.
“ERA considers that the current proposal is unacceptable from an environmental point of view,” it said. This type of development can easily be accommodated in the urban area, the environmental authority added.
Naxxar mayor Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami opted not to speak about the council’s position on the project during the PA hearing. However, the council is one of the objectors.
“We are in favour of the project, just not in ODZ,” she had told Times of Malta.
Environmental groups also voiced their opposition, including Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Din L-Art Ħelwa, Ramblers Association, and Nature Trust Malta.
Lawyer Claire Bonello complained that five important documents, specifically that referring to the choice of site, were not available on the PA website. She was told that the documents were confidential as they contained confidential details but the documents were still accessible to anyone who wanted to view them at the PA offices. The case officer report was concluded at the end of September so objectors had enough time to review them.
Architect Tara Cassar, on behalf of Din l-Art Ħelwa, questioned how a one-storey building was being replaced with one of three storeys but with the directorate saying there will be no detrimental visual impact. The directorate ignored the fact there is nothing on adjacent agricultural sites.
Resident Edward Woods complained that the road to the proposed project was just three metres wide and there will be accessibility issues for vehicles, including ambulances.
At the end of the hearing, the sitting was postponed to December 7.