Pama proposes ODZ garden with underlying shopping mall

PG Holdings, the owners of the Pama supermarket, have presented new plans for an extension on adjacent ODZ land to create a new underground shopping mall. 

The proposed above-ground development is limited to a “glazed canopy” covering the entrance lifts to the basement levels and a garden space. But plans also foresee the excavation of three underground floors to accommodate 9,970sq.m of retail and catering space and a massive car park catering for 359 cars. 

The application now refers to the establishment of “a mature public garden at ground floor level” which is set to include an “outdoor gym, public footpaths, and a picnic area”.  The proposal does not foresee any chairs and table areas for catering establishments which are entirely located in the first basement level along with the retail shops. 

Photomontages of the proposed development, depicting the new garden enclosed by cypress trees, have also been presented. 

The latest plans represent a reduction in above-ground development, which previously included an above-ground 10-metre-high entrance building on a part of the site occupied by an abandoned marble factory and more extensive paved areas. 

The Environment and Resources Authority has consistently objected to the plans to develop the ODZ site fearing that this could set a new precedent for similar developments resulting in further urban sprawl. 

While noting that most of the development was being proposed underground, the Authority had warned that its approval would contribute to additional future pressures for similar proposals in other ODZ areas. ERA has yet to react to the latest plans submitted in July. 

Studies conducted in 2020 indicated that the excavation of the entire site for the construction of the underground complex was expected to generate 152,750 cubic metres of excavation waste. The project will also create new traffic access to the shopping complex through the ODZ site where the new mall is being proposed. 

The retail space is being proposed below a 13,700sq.m agricultural field which is presently in a degraded state. The site, which lies outside development zones, also includes a marble processing plant which will be demolished. Some of the plant’s stores are subject to enforcement dating back to 2006.