Seven-storey old people’s home proposed in Zabbar square

A seven-storey high old people’s home is being proposed in Misrah tal-Madonna Medjatrici in Zabbar less then 60m away from the parish church.

The residential home is being proposed instead of a property dating back to the 1950s facing the Urban Conservation Area of Żabbar, within a prominent location in a square  characterised by predominantly three-storey buildings of a traditional and architectural value.

The existing building whose façade will be retained, dates back to the 1950s and it is reminiscent of its time. The adjacent dwelling to the right of the property in question evokes similar architectural elements.

The site had already been earmarked for the development of a restaurant at ground floor level and four overlying levels of apartments while retaining the facade.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage had expressed concern about the proposed height and had insisted the development should be limited to three floors so as to preserve the traditional character of the area.

The development was still approved in 2020 but subsequently the permit was withdrawn by the Planning Authority, following a failure by the developers to comply with permit conditions.

The new application presented by developer Daniel Zahra foresees the demolition of the existing dwelling retaining its facade and the construction of a retirement home facility with 37 rooms, a basement carpark, morgue, two multi-purpose halls and a landscaped outdoor area at ground floor level.

A planning policy approved in 2017 allows developers to propose two extra floors over and above the height limitation established in the local plan when presenting applications involving residential health facilities. The policy was aimed at addressing “the overall lack of available bedspaces”.   

In this case the local plan allows a height of three floors and a semi basement which is translated to a height of 17.5m in current policies in which developers can fit five floors.   

But the policy also states that these extra storeys should only be allowed if the resultant design is in keeping with the urban context and no blank walls are created.