Two ODZ old people’s homes being proposed in Naxxar and Fgura

Two separate applications have been submitted envisioning old people’s homes in ODZ areas, one replacing a derelict structure along Triq il-Gharghur in Naxxar, and the other in Fgura overlooking Wied Blandun.

The Naxxar proposal earmarks a 4,625 square metre site between Sqaq l-Imnieqa and Triq il-Gharghur, and involves the demolition of the derelict structure and its conversion into an old people’s home built over three floors. According to plans presented by GAP Limited only 360 square metres of the Naxxar site are presently built up. But the plans refer to a larger footprint taking up 1,970 square metres for a building built before 1978, of which 1,610 square metres no longer exist. The new project has a proposed footprint of 1,959 square metres.

The application is justified by policy 6.2 C included in Rural Policy and Design Guidance 2015, which limits the redevelopment or replacement building to the existing footprint. But the policy also allows developers to rebuild the ruins of older buildings.  

An application on the same site by former owners to redevelop the existing dwelling as a villa was turned down in 1994. Another application to develop residential units was refused in 1999.

GAP Limited is a leading property developer whose projects include the Fort Cambridge development in Tigne, including a proposed 40-storey hotel development in the same area, as well as the proposed development of residential complexes in Ta’ Masrija in Mellieha.

Fgura application

Another application for a six-storey old people’s home is being proposed on a partly ODZ site facing Wied Blandun in Fgura, fronting Triq Valperga. The area is subject to an enforcement order against illegal dumping and the placing of machinery on the site dating back to 2010. 

The application has been presented by property developer Desmond Mizzi. An application by a previous owner envisioning the construction of a four-courses wall enclosing the site was refused in 2001.