Marsa racecourse: nine-storey development plans submitted

Plans for the upgrading of the Marsa racecourse envisage the erection of a massive nine-storey high, commercial and office block in a fluid modern style of architecture.

A five-storey high car park is also being proposed over the Marsa Park and Ride. While the ground floor will host a bus terminus, the overlying four floors will include parking spaces for a staggering 1,248 cars.

A bridge will connect the car park and the racetrack. The building will also include an “open roof VIP area on top”.

The corner office building, which also includes three floors of commercial and retail development, is being proposed in the vicinity of the Lidl and Pavi supermarkets.

The plans, designed by architect Edwin Mintoff, also envisage upgrading the racetrack and the polo pitch, the development of two clubhouses, stables and paddocks, a childcare centre and an equestrian arena with a grandstand.

In its initial reaction to the submitted plans, the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage described the area where the project is being proposed as one having a “significant cultural landscape” and called on the developers to “take cognisance of the cultural heritage assets within the site, be they built structures, civil engineering works and archaeological remains”, and to ensure that these are safeguarded.

The Superintendence also asked for more details with regards to the Marsa Sports Club and the polo club, asking for clarification whether the building will be “demolished or restored”.

Studies are still required to assess the “cultural significance” of these buildings.

The area in question was the subject of civil engineering works during the British Period. This included an elaborate system of floodwater channels and sports infrastructure. The polo pitch was specifically engineered with an underlying system of rainwater drainage, including graded fills and terracotta pipes.

The Planning Authority’s design advisory committee expressed concerns on the massing of the corner offices and the car park, adding that widening the road and the space in between these blocks should be considered. It also suggested a reduction of the bulk of the building especially on the side of Racecourse street and the narrow road leading to the Marsa Sports Club.

Marsa Race Track Ltd presented the plans. The company is owned by F. Schembri Holdings and the Ireland-based True to Type Limited. It also includes individual shareholders, namely Irish national Alfred Kenneth Alexander Hill, Hugh Morsehead (also a director in Henley and Partners) from Jersey, British national Kusam Sharma and Maltese lawyer Pio M. Valletta.

According to the deed signed with the government, the annual ground rent to be paid by the operator for the land housing the racetrack will amount to €100,000. A further €650,000 in ground rent will be due on the land on which a commercial complex is to be built, with €50,000 due in rent for a proposed 1,200-car parking facility. The obligation to pay rent on the car park will come into force after three years.