Mrieħel bypass: supermarket proposed on agricultural land

A supermarket is being proposed on 5,800 sq.m of agricultural land along the Mrieħel bypass in the vicinity of the motorway’s pedestrian bridge.

Only about one-third of the area earmarked for this development lies within the building zones, a stretch zoned for “mixed use” development like supermarkets and retail shops.

The development is being proposed by Propay Ltd, a company owned by Jason Pace and Daniel Degorgio.

Pace recently presented another application for an ODZ supermarket on a 5,500 sq.m plot of agricultural land along the Birkirkara bypass.

Plans submitted to the Planning Authority foresee the excavation of a basement parking for 130 vehicles and a two-storey supermarket on a 4,700 sq.m footprint.

Plans also foresee a 1,000 sq.m “garden” on part of the site.

The Planning Authority’s own policy regulating supermarkets shows a preference for supermarkets located inside, or at the edge of town centres, to minimise car use, aimed at encouraging multi-purpose trips and making supermarkets accessible by public transport.

But the local plan states that where this is not possible because of the site-size requirements of large supermarkets, “mixed use” areas can be considered for this kind of development.

The application effectively proposes extending the “mixed use” designation on part of the site to the entire site, something which normally requires a change in the zoning of the area.

Although the site is not identified as an industrial zone or an area of containment in the local plan, the PA’s map server refers to the site as being part of the Mrieħel Industrial Hub.