Two supermarkets for San Gwann’s Balal Road

Two adjacent supermarkets are being proposed instead of a site currently occupied by the Kwikmix concrete plant along the recently widened Tal-Balal road, opposite the small chapel of St Philip and St James.  

The area is outside development zones.

While replacing a part of the unsightly industrial development, the development of supermarkets in the area will contribute to an urban sprawl in the open gap between San Gwann, Gharghur and Naxxar.  

The land identified for the development of the two supermarkets is still subject to a planning enforcement dating back to 2010 for illegal additions to the batching plant, including the building of a store and the excavation of the site. An application to regularise these irregularities was withdrawn in April 2018.

The development is being proposed by JDG Holdings, a company owned by Joseph Cassar.

The development, set on 7,254sq.m, does not occupy the site of the actual batching plant which is located further inside the rural area. The site is described in the application as the batching plant’s “port”.

As proposed the development includes an extensive underground car park below the two supermarkets. The supermarkets, set to be developed over one level, will rise to a maximum of 7.3m and separated by a landscaped area, each occupying 1,400sq.m of land fronting the landscaped area along the road.

San Gwann already has a Lidl supermarket located in the vicinity of the parish church further down the road. The Savemart supermarket is located at the edge of the Tal-Balal area, a short distance from the proposed supermarkets.  

The PA’s retail policy recommends the development of supermarkets either in town centres or at the edge of towns, and obliges developers to submit a retail impact assessment to ensure that new supermarkets do not shift business from existing ones in town centres.