Australia Hall zoning to be approved before traffic studies

Transport Malta will not be able to assess the traffic impact of a commercial development proposed around Australia Hall, before the Planning Authority approves new zoning for its floor area and building envelope.

This is because these studies will be required at a later stage when developers submit a planning application, after zoning approval which would then commit the site for development.

The zoning application will set the building envelope, site coverage and number of floors to be developed on a 3,870sq.m area around the historical Australia Hall.

The plans are for three “mixed use” blocks ranging between five and six floors, and the restoration of Australia Hall itself. Some 2,400sq.m of the total 6,331sq.m site will be retained as open public space.

The development is by AH Developments, which is owned by the Fino Group. The group had dropped earlier plans for a high-rise development in the area.

In January, Transport Malta informed the PA it had no objection to the development even while adding that the site was in “a traffic sensitive area”. TM warned that if the studies conducted reveal increased traffic generation that would have a “deleterious effect on the road network”, TM would not view the development application favourably.

Subsequently in April, TM said it was not in a position to comment further on this application “in view of the fact that transport studies have not been requested for this application.”

Plans for a revamp of the road network, including a tunnel passing under a Natura 2000 site linking Pembroke and St George’s Bay, have been dormant since 2020.

The zoning request for Australia Hall exposes a lacuna in the planning process, which often sees the PA setting the planning parameters that create a commitment for development, in the absence of traffic and other studies normally conducted when a more detailed planning application is presented.

The reason for this is that details on the specifics of the development, such as the number of units and retail outlets, are only known at that later stage.

In the meantime, the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has also issued its go-ahead for the approval of the zoning application, while reserving its assessment of the project’s design to a later stage when a full planning application is presented.

While the proposed layout of the project is deemed by the SCH to be “broadly acceptable”, issues related to the design of the project and mitigation measures to limit the impact on Australia Hall itself “will require further engagement at full application stage”.

The SCH suggested that it would accept the dismantling and sensitive relocation of protected latrines, located towards the west of the Australia Hall, to allow an improved open space.