PA approval of new road gives Portelli frontage for 200-apartment block

The Planning Authority has approved a new pedestrian passage to link Triq it-Torri and Trejqet ta’ Boxbox in Msida, through a zoning application that sets a new building alignment for a 4,261sq.m site currently used for warehousing.

The change in alignment resulting from the creation of the new road, will allow a company owned by construction magnate Joseph Portelli to substantially increase the developable area on which to build apartment blocks along the frontage of the new passageway.

Portelli has already submitted an application for the development of two massive blocks of 197 apartments, spread over eight floors, with two shops and 240 underground garages on the plot of land between the two streets.

This has prompted concern from the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage and NGOs about the visual impact on a row of scheduled houses.

The zoning proposal includes the introduction of a public pedestrian passage restricted to vehicular access for emergency vehicles from Trejqet Ta’ Boxbox, and the formation of a short, already schemed road perpendicular to Triq it-Torri, which leads to the lower level areas of the site.

The site, earmarked for development, overlooks two streets: Triq ta’ Boxbox and Triq it-Torri. The site already developed is occupied by a three-storey building that houses offices on Triq it-Torri, with the remaining area consisting of one-storey buildings used for storage and warehousing.

The site is zoned as a residential area with a height limitation of four floors and a semi-basement in the local plan, which translates to a metric height of 22m in current policies.  But the development is currently limited to the frontage of the existing roads.

Din l-Art Helwa and Moviment Graffitti questioned whether such an application should even be considered, as zoning applications are typically limited to minor amendments to local plans. According to the NGOs, the sole purpose of this application is to create a new road, which would, in turn, create new frontage along which additional development, not currently possible, could be considered.

“This would mean that through this application, land that cannot be developed under current planning regulations would be rendered developable,” the NGOs stated. They argue that while the current scheme allows for approximately 2,500 sq.m of potentially developable land, the proposed new road would increase the development potential to 3,350 sq.m - an increase of 850 sq.m.

The NGOs contend that such a substantial increase in development density, which exceeds what is planned and provided for in the local plans, cannot be regarded as a ‘minor modification’.

Moreover, the proposal would also substantially increase the population density in the area.

They also pointed out that the application fails to consider the impact of the proposal on the row of scheduled properties immediately adjacent to the site. “This would, in turn, lead to the creation of several unsightly permanent blank party walls back-to-back with the Grade 2 scheduled properties, marring the visual amenity of this heritage landscape,” the NGOs added.

However, the PA’s planning directorate rebutted that the proposed change in building alignment through the creation of the pedestrian road was meant to promote pedestrian mobility within the area.

The proposed short, schemed road from Triq it-Torri is intended primarily to provide access to the lower-level parking facilities. Furthermore, the new road will help break the massing of two relatively large site frontages by introducing a sizeable pedestrian area.

Nevertheless, the planning directorate acknowledged the impact of the development on the scheduled Grade 2 townhouses fronting Triq it-Torri. To address heritage concerns, the directorate recommended a condition that any permit issued on this site should comply with planning policies that require a transition between the row of scheduled dwellings and the new development.