Smart City to get 69 villas near Fort St Rocco

A Planning Authority case officer is recommending the approval of 69 new villas on the 67,000sq.m plot of land to the north of Smart City, below the St Rocco Fort on the Xgħajra coastline.

The latest proposal will see an increase in the number of villas from the 51 approved in 2009, when the PA had approved the masterplan for the entire project. This is mainly due to the extension of the villa area on plots previously allocated for commercial development.

However, a reduction in height of the proposed villas from a maximum of 14m to 10m has resulted in a reduced visual impact, as confirmed by photomontages comparing the massing approved back in 2009 with that being proposed now.

But the new residential development will still dominate coastal views when seen from Fort Ricasoli, Fort Rinella and Fort St Rocco.

The villas will be set in four rows, the front row facing the sea rising to 5m, then 10m for the second row, and stepped down again to 5m in the third row and rising again to 10m on the last row. A row of six plots directly facing the Kalanka tal-Patrijiet and Fort Ricasoli has also been removed from the latest plans.

The layout was designed in a way which ensures that 90% of the villas will enjoy unobstructed sea views.

Above: Photomontage showing Fort St Rocco as approved in 2009 and Fort St Rocco as currently proposed, as seen from the gun post and Photomontage showing Fort Rinella development as approved in 2009 (top) and the development as currently proposed

Each villa will be built on plots ranging from 400 to 900sq.m, with buildings covering at least 45% of the plot. An area of 7,000sq.m facing the coastline in front of the villa plots, will be turned into a promenade, apart from a 10,000sq.m landscaped area around the Fort St Rocco.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage issued its clearance for the development because the line of sight of the fort toward the open seas will be retained and the ditch of will not be impacted. Moreover, the layout of the new buildings will follow the existing contours.

Residential component more than 2009 masterplan

The residential development was already foreseen in a masterplan approved in for the entire Smart City project in 2009 which provided the parameters for the development, first billed as a futuristic ‘internet city’ by then PN minister Austin Gatt but already having a substantial real estate component.

That outline permit established the layout and location of plots within Smart City and the dominant land use and maximum height within each plot, capping the gross floor area at 62,730sq.m.

After 2013, the new Labour administration allowed changes to the commercial components of the development, with a permit for the Shoreline apartment complex and mall now having utilised 41,000sq.m of residential development. That leaves 21,630sq.m that can be used at Smart City for residences.

With the approval of the villas, the 24,400sq.m will put the residential component in excess of the 2009 masterplan limits.

But while pointing out this discrepancy, the PA’s case officer report recommends approval because the new development is well within the total 313,320sq.m allocated of Smart City’s three components – ICT, commercial and residential.

Indeed, the combined sum of approved developments amounts to 39% of the total floor area for all components, meaning the villa proposal still “does not exceed the overall capping of total gross floor area identified in approved outline permit.”

The PA is currently considering changes to the masterplan proposed in 2022. The masterplan allocates plots previously earmarked for information and communications technology (ICT) offices to other purposes like development related to education and residential institutions. The amendments to the 2009 Smart City masterplan also foresee the elimination of residential development on 38,000sq.m of agricultural land around St Peter’s battery. This large area will be retained as a green open space.