Birgu mayor non-committal on Gaffarena’s ODZ elderly home

The Birgu local council will be meeting to discuss a proposal for the construction of an old people’s home in a rural area, outside development zones, overlooking the scheduled parts of the Tal-Hawli valley in the vicinity of the Vittoriosa primary school.

The application proposed by St Paul Residential Homes Limited, a company owned by developer Joseph Gaffarena, has been validated by the Planning Authority and issued for public consultation. 

Contacted by MaltaToday and asked whether he agrees, Birgu mayor John Boxall described the proposal as a double-edged sword.

“Birgu has an ageing population and needs a home for the elderly. On the other hand we are very concerned about the protection of the valley.”

While noting that the proposal overlooks the scheduled area and is in the vicinity of the primary school, Boxall insisted that the council needs to discuss the issue before he takes a stand.

The application was filed in September 2013 by Prof. Mark Brincat on behalf of St Paul Residential Homes. 

Since then, Brincat has been substituted by Donald Magro as the applicant of the project.

The latest plans envision a four-storey building over two storeys of underground parking.

Labour MP Charles Buhagiar is still listed as “project architect”. Buhagiar is the government-appointed chairman of the Building Industry Consultative Council.

In 1992, MEPA had refused an application to erect garages and stores on the site presently earmarked for the development of the old people’s home.  

But in 1997 the authority issued a permit to Joseph Gaffarena’s son Marco, to erect a maisonette and a garage over a small part of the site.