Seven-storey old people’s home approved in Mosta

The Planning Authority (PA) has approved the construction of a seven-storey old people’s home in Mosta despite concerns raised by the heritage watchdog.

The home will be built at the corner of Triq il-Kostituzzjoni and Triq Nikol Muscat, on the site of the Pitstop carwash, adjacent to the Miracle Foods retail outlet. The site is just a few metres from the Casa Arkati old people’s home.

The new residential home, proposed by Fran Schembri, is set to include 84 guestrooms and 178 beds. The development will retain part of the façade of an existing old building and will include three basement parking levels, with the old people’s home above consisting of six floors and a receded level, reaching a total height of 25 metres from pavement level.

Planning policies limit development in the area, however, in this case, the Planning Authority has applied the Height Limitation Adjustment Policy for Retirement Homes, which permits two extra floors above this height limitation. The uppermost floor will be set back to minimise the visual impact.

The residential home was approved in an area designated by the Local Plan as a residential area, where only small-scale residential institutions can be approved. However, an urban design study submitted by the developer’s architect states that, due to the natural topography of the street, the new building “won’t have a significant impact on the current skyline of Mosta, as it will blend in with the heights of buildings on higher ground when viewed from the Rotunda area. Moreover, the new building will face a relatively wide street.”

While recognising that the development cannot be considered small-scale, the Planning Authority applied another policy allowing a departure from the local plan, provided the surrounding area is already designated for similar uses. In this case, the immediate vicinity includes offices and retail establishments, while Casa Arkati is located further down the road.

However, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage had expressed reservations about the proposed design of the building, calling for a more coherent design and the use of a single building material, preferably local limestone. The heritage watchdog also insisted that the two uppermost floors should be receded. However, the case officer disagreed with these recommendations, noting that the area is dominated by modern buildings, including showrooms, apartment blocks, and other commercial establishments, with no sensitive historic buildings in the immediate vicinity.

A tri-partite legal agreement has been signed by the Planning Authority, the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity, and the applicant to ensure that the premises are kept in use as a retirement home and that any change of use (even partial) may be considered only if the additional floors are first removed, as required by policy.