No to new supermarket on Birkirkara bypass, says ERA

The Environment and Resources Authority is objecting to the development of a brand new supermarket, located outside development zones, along the Dun Karm Psaila ‘Birkirkara’ bypass outside on 5,500sq.m of land.

A development application presented by Jason Pace in November is proposing the demolition of existing rubble walls and structures and the uprooting of trees to make way the construction of a supermarket and offices built over two storeys with a built footprint of 4,060sq.m.

Noting that the site in question consists of agricultural fields and is located outside development zones , ERA has expressed concern on the proposed development noting that if approved it would result in the take up of rural land and in urban sprawl beyond development boundaries. Moreover ERA is also concerned by the additional ancillary requirements to accommodate such proposal.

While noting that the project will require further traffic and environmental studies, the ERA concluded that such an studies are "superfluous” in view of its over-riding objection to ODZ development .

ERA does not have a final say on permits issued on ODZ land but its objections have to be considered by the case officers assessing such proposals.

The land now owned by Jason Pace, was already earmarked for a Lidl supermarket in 2015 but the application was later withdrawn.

Both environmentalists and the Malta Developers Association had protested against the ODZ development, with former MDA boss Sandro Chetcuti complaining about the uneven playing field for those operators buying premium land in development zones, while others acquire cheap ODZ land.

The proposed supermarket will be metres away from another major four-storey office block, proposed on an existing townhouse and its extensive gardens which lie outside the development zones. Both projects abut on the narrow, rural Sqaq it-Tiġieġ alley.

And the Birkirkara bypass is already the site of another proposed supermarket and 27-apartment block, on a 4,000sq.m plot next to the Scan outlet, this time within the building zones.

Although sandwiched between Birkirkara and the San Gwann industrial area and Mater Dei hospital, the ODZ status of the area creates a buffer between the two densely urbanised localities.

Jason Pace is also involved in another bid to develop an ODZ supermarket in Mriehel being proposed by Propay Ltd, a company he co-owns with Daniel Degorgio. In this case only about one-third of the area earmarked for the retail development lies within the building zones, a stretch zoned for “mixed use” development like supermarkets and retail shops.

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.