Historical Ottoman cemetery spared of industrial garage development

The Planning Authority has refused a garage complex proposed by applicant Mark Cassar, in the vicinity of the Ottoman cemetery in Marsa, citing the massive scale of the project and its impact on Grade 1 scheduled monument.

Planning Commission chairman Stephania Baldacchino justified the decision saying that the massing of the project was still substantial and the industrial use was inappropriate in the vicinity of the historical monument. All board members voted against the permit being granted.

The proposed complex of 67 industrial garages built over two floors and a basement on a 5,320sq.m site adjacent to the protected Turkish cemetery in Marsa was originally recommended for approval by a case officer.

But in December the Planning Commission postponed taking a decision, and had asked for revised plans due to its concern on the impact on the historical monument.

The Turkish embassy in Malta has also objected to the garage complex proposed by applicant Mark Cassar next to the Ottoman cemetery in Marsa.

“We are not only concerned, but also gravely concerned and highly disappointed on the said development, after the first two attempts to build a petrol station in 2016 and an industrial complex in 2019 had been averted with Turkish and Maltese joint efforts for which we are grateful,” Muzaffer Yuksel, a counsellor to the Turkish embassy had told MaltaToday in December.

In a sitting earlier today Wednesday, project architect Stephen Farrugia complained that the PA’s planning directorate had not given him any feedback on how his client can downscale the project and develop the site in a sensitive way.

Farrugia called on the PA to give a clear indication on what is and is not permissible on the site, which is zoned for industrial use.

Architect and academic Conrad Thake spoke during the hearing about the cultural and historical importance of the adjacent Turkish cemetery, insisting that the unique national monument should be protected.

He also decried the visual impact of the proposed 12-metre block, which is equivalent to four floors and the same as the height of the cemetery’s minaret towers.

Jonathan Borg, from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, also objected to the development along with Marsa mayor Josef Azzopardi.

Applicant Mark Cassar protested, insisting that he had bought the land as it was already earmarked for development, and that he should be compensated if permits are not issued. “Would you be speaking like this if the land were yours? Would you leave it empty? That’s all I have to say,” Cassar told objectors.