Rabat villas bring threat of urban sprawl in countryside

New dwellings on the traditional Mnarja horserace track in Rabat’s Tigrija Street are being proposed instead of two old countryside structures, outside development zones.

One of the dwellings is located right next to the “plieri”, the stone marker for the starting point of the races, while the other is located a short distance away.

Both applications to the Planning Authority were presented by the same architect but by two different applicants belonging to the same commercial group, Jason Mifsud and Neville Bonnici, the owners of Univest Enterprises.

They want to demolish the disused animal farms, add on to the existing buildings and retain the old vernacular structures which will be integrated in the new dwellings.

The PA was close to approving two similar applications in July after its planning commission indicated it would overturn the case officer’s recommendation to refuse the permits. But both applications were withdrawn before a final decision was taken.   

The applications were being assessed according to a controversial rural policy which permits the transformation of old vernacular dwellings outside the building zones, into villas. The Environment and Resources Authority had objected to both applications, warning that these would result in the sprawl of urban development; but the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage approved the plans on the basis of the applicant’s commitment to retain the vernacular structures.

The case officer had recommended refusal because old farm dwellings can only be turned into fully-fledged homes if they already include a minimum habitable area of 100sq.m. One building had just a habitable area of 51sq.m, the other 43sq.m.

But the PA’s planning commission disagreed, insisting that the structures had a walled yard exceeding the required 100sq.m. In such cases, no proof of past residence is necessary. Originally, the developers had failed to prove that the structures were livestock farms, which would have permitted their conversion into dwellings.