Planning Authority to change Villa Rosa Local Plan, launches public consultation

The Planning Authority (PA) has launched a public consultation to change the local plan pertaining to the Villa Rosa site in St Julian’s.

Among the objectives of the review, as stated by the authority, are to reconfigure the boundaries of the sub-zones within the Villa Rosa area and establish the allowable building heights for each sub-zone.

The objectives state that the minimum area of public open space must exceed the current allocations in the local plan, as well as the zones where higher quality hotels shall be allowed.

The policy allows all hotels inside development zones to add two new storeys over and above the height limitation permitted in their towns’ local plans.

But this height can breach the two-story limit if the hotel is on a site larger than 5,000 square metres, surrounded by existing or planned roads, or if the site accommodates standalone buildings.

READ ALSO: Villa Rosa: Government MPs say changes still up for consultation, Opposition MPs slam lack of transparency

Last week, the Villa Rosa site made headlines after it emerged that Cabinet voted on a proposal to change the local plan.

The Għajnsielem site that will be designated for open-air recreational use

MaltaToday reported that the vote in question had left a number of ministers uncomfortable, as they noted that the move, which will accommodate developer, Anton Camilleri, contradicts comments made by Prime Minister Robert Abela, when he had stated that local plans cannot be changed on a whim.

READ ALSO: Villa Rosa: When local plans are not cast in stone

Partial review of Gozo and Comino Local Plan

The Planning Authority is also proposing a partial review of the 2006 Gozo and Comino Local Plan, specifically targeting two areas in Għajnsielem and Xewkija.

In Għajnsielem, the PA plans to designate the area that normally accommodates the live Bethlehem nativity as an open-air, formal recreational land use with ancillary structures.

The proposed site-specific policy will include criteria to ensure that the site is only used for formal recreation with minimal commercial activity. Ancillary structures will remain small in scale, while their design and location should not impact the surroundings.

In Xewkija, the PA wants to designate the area located between Triq it-Torri Gorgun and Triq il-Kav. Lorenzo Zammit Haber as a rural settlement. The objective is to clearly delineate the development boundary and identify the acceptable land-uses and building height limitation  within the overall framework of the Gozo and Comino Local Plan.

The public can submit their representations to these plans in writing to the Planning Authority via email at [email protected] by 6 November 2024.

Partial review of 2006 Local Plan policies for rural settlements

The Planning Authority is also intiating a partial review of the 2006 Local Plans policies covering rural settlements.

The authority said this review will seek to bring clarity and update the policies to ensure that the management and development of these areas align with conemporary planning standards.

This review will affect four local plans, namely North West, Central Malta, South Malta and Gozo and Comino.

The objectives of the review as stated by the PA will be to amend the policies relating to Category 2 and Category 3 Rural Settlements to clearly define the acceptable types of development considered as ancillary to a dwelling in these areas, as well as the guidelines for the take-up of fresh land in Category 3 settlements for development that is considered as ancillary to a dwelling.

PN requests urgent committee meeting to discuss changes

Earlier on Tuesday the Nationalist Party requested an urgent meeting of the Parliamentary Environment Committee to be convened to discuss the changes to the Local Plans.

The Nationalist MPs on the committee - Stanley Zammit and Rebekah Borg - wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Permanent Committee on the Environment, Climate Change and Development Planning insisting that any proposed changes to the Local Plans must safeguard the environment and the quality of life of residents.

They suggested that the committee convene on 17 or 18 October and that the Minister responsible for Planning be asked to appear before the committee to explain what was decided by the Cabinet on the Villa Rosa local plan changes.