Joseph Portelli proposes 45-apartment block on Mosta green enclave

A 1,279sq.m green enclave in Mosta is being earmarked for a five-storey block proposed by a company partly owned by construction magnate Joseph Portelli.

The land includes three existing buildings, including an old farmhouse, a number of old mature trees, a pigeon loft and a characteristic huge rubble wall surrounding most of the site.

The site is located in a residential area between Trejqet il-Bajtar, Triq Baskal Buhagiar and Triq il-Ħtajriet, mostly characterised by two and three-storey residential blocks, 230m away from the Maria Regina College and 340m from the Rotunda.

As proposed, the project foresees the excavation of the entire plot and the construction of 45 garages on two basement levels and 45 apartments, including eight maisonettes and six penthouses with jacuzzis.

The existing pigeon loft will be retained and a rustic design is being proposed for the ground floor façade.

The development is being proposed by CF Developers, a company owned by five shareholders, including Joseph Portelli, and is behind the recently approved Park Lane development in Balzan and the proposed Mayfair development, opposite Villa Bologna in Attard.

Once again, the application is being presented by company shareholder Clifton Cassar, while the plans carry the signature of architect Maria Schembri Grima, who is regularly involved in projects proposed by Portelli’s business empire, while serving as chairman of the state-appointed Building and Construction Agency – which regulates the construction sector.

Despite envisaging the excavation of the site, the applicant declared that the application will not result in the felling of any trees or in the demolition of any rubble walls.

The application states that CF Developers is not an owner of the entire site, but has notified the owners of the site who granted their consent for the proposed development.