Applicants for a new road in Victoria, which residents fear would lead to a large development, were told to make revisions after the Planning Authority raised concerns during an executive council meeting on Tuesday.

The Victoria council and residents are strongly objecting to a plan to build the new road, amid fears it will pave the way for a cluster of apartments on the site of the locality’s last remaining green lung.

The proposed planning application is within the development zone and covers a 10,300-square-metre site close to the Downtown Hotel and opposite the new aquatic sports centre. 

The developer, Joe Cordina, is seeking to establish the road layout of the parcel of land on the west side of Wied ta’ Karawendi. The site boundary abuts Triq L-Ewropa and Triq Il-Belliegħa. This would allow the entire site to be developed.

The space would fit more than 300 three-bedroom apartments and see Victoria’s population increase by nearly 1,000, equivalent to 13 per cent.

However, despite the lack of a legal dispute, the Victoria local council has come out strongly against the development (PC/00050/17) as it will see vernacular and historic structures destroyed to make way for the road. 

In the executive meeting, the council once again aired these concerns along with speakers from the public and NGOs. They also spoke on the development’s lack of creating a green area.

Another concern was the single entrance to the proposed development area as the influx of cars will only create more traffic while cars are bottlenecked through the lone road.

The public also raised concerns about the historical significance of the area, the increase in pollution and traffic to the town, and the proposed water run-offs that will only worsen the already-flooded streets during rainfall.

The council specifically noted the concerns relating to the road’s single entrance, the lack of green space proposed, and the possible damage to heritage sites.

Therefore, the council proposed a green space which will make use of the area's heritage structures, another entrance that will connect the new road to the existing network to avoid the bottleneck and that heritage assessments be carried out as recommended by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.

The PA’s executive council heard the public's thoughts as they suspended the application to address the raised concerns and will rediscuss the matter pending further applications.