Smart City in Kalkara will be moving further away from its original grand plan to become an ICT hub with the approval of an 11-storey block for a hotel and a separate block of residences.
The outline development permission was granted by the Planning Authority board on Thursday, covering the construction of the 250-room hotel with ancillary facilities spread over 11 floors above ground, and two underlying car parking levels.
An adjacent but separate block will house between 95 and 128 residential units, comprising one, two- and three-bedroom apartments, over two floors of underground parking.
The board heard how the Kalkara council did not respond to consultation requests and neither did a representative turn up for the hearing.
The blocks will be built on a site presently used as a temporary car park for the Smart City project, overlooking the picturesque seaside locality of Xgħajra.
The hotel block will cover a total gross floor area of 21,000 square metres, with another 16,000 square metres for the residential block.
The residential block and hotel on the right. Photo: PAThe hotel will include a restaurant, a lounge and bar, a spa which includes an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor pool, a pool bar and grill, a ballroom and a conference hall, among others.
Once the whole Smart City road network is completed the site will also be accessible throughout a ring road. The PA recently approved the new ring road around Smart City.
The Planning Directorate noted that demographical trends over the last 20 years have led to changes in the objectives and approach to the original concept of Smart City Malta as an ICT city. Requirements for specific land uses have varied over this time, inevitably leading to the need for transfer of GFA relating to residential use, rather than office use, it said.
On the proposed height of this specific application, the case officer noted that the maximum height limitation was just 20cm higher than the approved height in the 2008 master plan for Smart City.
According to the plans, the residential component shall also include a separate low-lying building, comprising two-storey units with terraces fronting the promenade.
But the board was not happy with this, with deputy chairman Martin Camilleri insisting that this did not satisfy the stepping down requirement.
He said that while he appreciated that taller buildings were pushed back towards the present blocks of Smart City and stepped downwards towards the shoreline, a more stepping-down effect would have looked better.
The project’s architect responded that to achieve that stepping effect, the project would have to occupy a larger area.
PA board chairman Emmanuel Camilleri agreed on the need for a better design of the project to create a more satisfactory transition from the coast and a stepping down of the top floors of the blocks.
He proposed an additional condition in the outline permit calling for adequate terracing of the development to enhance its impact on the skyline. This was unanimously approved by the board when approving the outline permit.
An outline development application seeks to establish whether the scale and nature of a proposed development are acceptable in principle by the authority. Once this permit is granted, the applicant will now need to file a full development permit with proper architectural designs.