Birzebbuga council objects to real estate on Enemalta’s land in Qajjenza

The Labour-led Birżebbuġa council has objected to real estate development on the site of the decommissioned LPG gas storage facility along the Qajjenza coastline.

The site is substantially owned by Enemalta, and the council has called for its conversion into a “public green recreational space.”

The project could also possibly include infrastructure for more pressing social needs for residents in the area like sports facilities or an old people’s home, the council said.

The site is being proposed for real estate in a zoning application presented by developer Paul Attard’s Katari Developments Limited. Katari does not own the land in question but was granted consent for the zoning application by Enemalta and the other owners.

The council noted that the application is proposing an increase in the height limitation for the area from the current three storeys to a maximum of eight, and an increase of the current built-up footprint.

“This will certainly result in a negative visual impact to the predominantly residential buildings found at the western and north-western side of the site and the agricultural fields surrounding the area on the north and north-eastern sides,” the council said in a formal objection sent to the Planning Authority.

The council also presented a list of “priority projects” which should be considered in the area including  open green areas; playing fields and small sporting facilities for children and young adults; a home for the elderly and an  underground car park.

The council called on the Planning Authority to consider the plight of Birżebbuġa residents  who “throughout the years been inundated with numerous land uses that negatively influenced their livelihood, including the power station, freeport, airport, industrial estate, amongst others”. Moreover, it lamented the absence of suitable open spaces for families and children in the Qajjenza area.

“Hence, new developments must seriously focus on improving the residents’ health and well-being and definetly not increasing the built-up footprint of the locality,” the council said.

More than 200 objections have been presented against the proposed development in the past week.  These included objections by the Għaqda Storja u Kultura Birżebbuġa and Moviment Graffitti.

MaltaToday had confirmed last week that Enemalta issued its consent for the zoning application which also foresees amendments to the local plan to allow the development of four residential blocks and two office blocks on 47% of the 23,906sq.m site.

Most of the site is owned by Enemalta (13,561 sq.m) and the government (3,408 sq.m). An additional 6,273sq.m are held by private owners. 

In comments to MaltaToday Energy Minister Miriam Dalli has defended the decision of the Enemalta board of directors to issue its consent for Paul Attard’s zoning application.

Replying to MaltaToday’s questions a spokesperson for the minister described the site as an “important financial asset for Enemalta’s operations” and invoked the need to strike a balance “between investment and green projects through different initiatives and investments”. 

According to the Energy Minister, the aim of the application presented by Attard is to “ask the Planning Authority to determine the uses, layout and buildings for possible future developments in this site within the development zone”. 

The minister insisted that the consent given by Enemalta’s board of directors for the zoning application to be filed “bears no significance on the title of the site”. “This does not impinge on Enemalta’s ownership of part of the same site, nor did Enemalta transfer or sell any of its land,” she said.

With regards to the potential use of the site as a green space, the energy minister pointed out that Enemalta  is also considering regenerating an adjacent plot of land it owns into a public space.