Zabbar cemetery extension proposes 1,332 new graves

A private company is proposing the construction of 1,332 new graves on land next to the Zabbar cemetery. 

The land is designated by the local plan for future cemetery extension. 

The application presented by Alex Tanti on behalf of Alt Holdings Limited also envisages the construction of a boundary wall set to include ashes, urns and steel entrance gates. The wall will also include a doorway linking the proposed extension with the existing cemetery. 

The company proposing the extension does not own the land in question but has been granted consent by the owners. 

The application is being presented after the Planning Authority had rejected a previous attempt to change the zoning of this plot to a residential one. 

The previous zoning application sought to re-zone the land so as to allow the construction of a residential block. However, this application was refused by the PA in 2023. 

The local plan approved in 2006 does not allow development on this 1,300sq.m plot of land since it is earmarked for cemetery expansion. 

The land directly abuts onto the existing Żabbar cemetery along the southeast side and has a frontage on three schemed roads, namely, Triq il-Misqa, Triq il-Hawt, and Triq il-Papa Piju XII.