Over 2,500 file objections to Villa Rosa local plan review

Over 2,500 people have used Moviment Graffitti’s online form to submit objections to the Villa Rosa Local Plan review.

In a press statement on Monday, the NGO said the Planning Authority has been flooded with objections to its “sham consultation process” to revise the Local Plan for the area.

People can use the form to submit their input by 25 November (today).

“It is clear that the Government has initiated the review of the Villa Rosa Local Plan on instruction by developer Tal-Franċiż,” Moviment Graffitti said. “The revision process began after the developer's meeting with the Cabinet, covers the exact area of the Tal-Franċiż proposed development application filed two years ago, and its stated objectives align with changing development parameters, so that what is currently prohibited becomes permitted.”

READ ALSO: Shifting goalposts at Villa Rosa: From policy, to project-driven

Among the objections flagged by the NGO is the lack of transparency around the Local Plan review. Moviment Graffitti questioned the real purpose of this exercise since a specific policy for Villa Rosa already exists.

They also said that high-rise hotels should not be given any preferential treatment if their siting impinges upon residential amenity or scenic or environmentally sensitive sites. Meanwhile, there are no published studies or reports indicating that there is a dearth of tourists in Malta, or that high-rise buildings are the only hotels which can accommodate them.

“It is evident that the sole aim of the consultation process is that of enabling the construction of a mammoth project presented in application PA/07254/22,” the objection says.

Last month, the Planning Authority launched a public consultation to change the Local Plan governing 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.

READ ALSO: Robert Abela’s Villa Rosa show leaves ministers uncomfortable