Gozitan ‘parish complex’ scaled down by MEPA

A grandiose four-storey project in Triq il-Kastell in Rabat, Gozo in close vicinity to the Cittadella, has been radically scaled down after the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's Planning Directorate deemed the original proposal "objectionable in principle". 

The original proposal has been replaced of a two-storey building which will replace an existing one-storey building whose façade will be retained.

MEPA will be deciding on whether to give its go ahead to the scaled down project, which now includes a residence for a local archpriest, next Thursday.

The project dates back to 2003 when the church proposed a parish complex instead of an existing building together with a heritage park and an "extension" of an existing alley.

The project consisted of two floors below ground consisting of a two-level carpark and four floors above ground consisting of a cathedral museum, a library, staff quarters, a shopping mall a cafeteria and Christian doctrine classes.

Work on the site had started before the application was even presented as in 2001 MEPA had issued an enforcement notice against excavations and levelling of soil all done without a permit on the same site.

In its assessment of this application, the Planning Directorate argued that any development in the vicinity of Cittadella is not desirable from an aesthetic point of view.  

The case officer report noted that the proposed complex implied excavation and a modification of the existing street layout in the immediate vicinity of the Cittadella and the development was deemed as "incompatible with the urban design and environmental characteristics of the area".  It was also deemed to "detract from the traditional urban sky line".

The project was put on hold for the next nine years pending the outcome of an Environment Impact Assessment which was never conducted.

In February 2009, the architect of the project was asked by MEPA whether the applicant was still interested in the project. Subsequently, revised plans with a much more scaled-down development were presented.

The revised proposal on which the MEPA board will be deciding next Thursday consists of the construction of a Cathedral Parish Centre set on two floors. The lower level accommodate a one-car garage, three meeting rooms, the archpriest's residence and a hall while the second level will include a second hall and three other staff quarters. 

The total floor space has been scaled down from 1,400 square metres in the original to less than 500 square meters.

Although the project has been scaled down, both the Superintendent for Fortifications and MEPA's Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee still expressed its concern about the visual impact on Cittadella, insisting that a photomontage should be required.

In its first assessment of the scaled down application MEPA's Heritage Planning Unit noted that since no basement level was being proposed, any underlying archaeological remains would not be affected.  

But although the development has been limited to two storeys, "the overall massing of the development still results in a considerable negative visual impact".  But plans were later changed to accommodate the concerns of the HPU which welcomed the improvements.

A bank guarantee of €7,833 is also being proposed.