11-storey block proposed on last patch of Valley Road greenery

One of the last patches of greenery reminiscent of what the Msida valley looked like before it was transformed into Valley Road, could make way for an 11-storey mixed-use development if the Planning Authority approves an application presented by George Portelli’s Right Properties.

The site of the 2,780sq.m development is located on both sides of a public staircase, which is presently surrounded by lush greenery, something that is hard to come by in Birkirkara.

The application proposes the demolition of existing old and dilapidated structures, and the clearance and excavation of the existing site, which is presently full of trees, flowers and shrubs, constituting a veritable island of greenery in the densely developed area.

The latest application proposes retail outlets and offices at ground floor level and overlying offices fronting Valley Road.

The proposal includes an underground parking and ancillary facilities including a substation. The mixed-used development includes residential units fronting Triq il-Parilja and Triq Guzè Flores, served by three levels of underground parking accessible from Triq Flores. It also foresees a “permanent link” between the carparks of the commercial and residential areas.

The developers had already presented a similar application in 2001, but the Planning Authority shelved this application in 2013 after the developer failed to present the required plans and information.

Plans show the development rising five floors above Triq il-Parilja and 11 floors over Valley Road.

But the local plan approved in 2006 already zoned the area for commercial development along Valley Road and for residential development along Triq il-Parilja.

A zoning application presented in 2017 proposed an extension to Triq Flores to be used as a public open space, and to change the zoning of part of the site from residential to commercial in line with the 2001 application. The Santa Venera local council had objected to the proposed extension of the commercial area, warning that this would exacerbate the current hardships experienced by residents in the area, namely in Triq il-Parilja and Triq Flores. The application was later suspended.