Works have started on a proposed boċċi club in Xgħajra although a planning application on the site remains pending, with a final decision yet to be taken.

Residents who spoke to Times of Malta said an excavator appeared on the site over a week ago and has been steadily working and clearing earth from the site, situated adjacent to a playground between Triq il-Fortizza tal-Grazzja, Sqaq il-Grawnd and Triq l-Awrat.

In reply to questions sent by Times of Malta, a spokesperson for the Planning Authority said that, following a site inspection, the works being carried out are related to an already approved permit PA/04189/17.

This application was intended to revive a previously approved permit in 2008 to construct a belvedere, playground, multi-purpose hall, changing rooms and toilet, a basketball court, a cycle track and garden with some alteration and the addition of an underground store.

The full development permit for the project was issued on October 9, 2017, which, according to the permit itself, is valid for five years from the date of publication.

The site in question is currently also the subject of an open planning application by the Xgħajra local council to build an outdoor boċċi pitch as well as a boċċi club and a multipurpose hall on subterranean floors as well as a roof garden on ground level.

The application is proving to be somewhat contentious among residents, with dozens of representations filed by locals in opposition to the project.

In the objections, people commonly pointed to the fact that the local council had never informed residents that it intended to build a boċċi club on the site and that there are already two other boċċi clubs in the vicinity.

Objectors also brought up the fact that much of the proposed project lacks landscaping and seating for the public and does not include recreational facilities for children.

The inclusion of a new multipurpose hall was also lambasted by objectors, who claimed that the local council already had such a building but has since abandoned it. The boċċi club, they argued, could be moved to a more appropriate location close to the Xgħajra football pitch.

The application’s case status currently reads that a report has been finalised but that a decision has yet to be taken

Recommended for refusal

The planning directorate’s case officer recommended the pending boċċi club application for refusal, saying that the proposal runs counter to planning policies which specify that sites in this context must only be used as public recreational facilities in the form of children’s play areas or landscaped public seating.

Additionally, the project as proposed does not conform to policy in terms of design and visual impact as it does not retain the open nature of the current site, the case officer said. It would, therefore, fail to protect and enhance the character and amenities of the urban area.

The case officer also said that the proposal lacks the requisite information to properly assess it in cultural heritage terms as well in terms of access for people with disabilities.

The applicants have also failed to provide the required car parking spaces, which would give rise to an “unacceptable” rise in on-street car parking, the report said.

On May 4 last year, the planning board suspended the application for three months and requested the architect to submit fresh drawings addressing the reasons for refusal.

The application’s case status currently reads that a report has been finalised but that a decision has yet to be taken.

Times of Malta has contacted the Building and Construction Authority as well as the Xgħajra local council for comment.