Moviment Graffitti alongside residents’ groups Għaqda Storja u Kultura Birżebbuġa and Marsaxlokk Heritage express serious concern over proposal PC/00022/23, submitted by developer Paul Attard, which seeks to amend the Local Plan to permit the construction of six apartment and office blocks on the site of the former Enemalta gas storage facility in Qajjenza, Birżebbuġa. The application is set to be decided by the PA Executive Council on Tuesday, 4th February at 3pm.
The majority of the site in question is publicly owned by Enemalta, while a portion is privately held.
The organisations strongly oppose the construction of three, seven-storey, blocks on public land owned by Enemalta, irrespective of whether they are developed by a private entity or a public one. Qajjenza is already the most congested area in Birżebbuġa, characterised by high population density and a severe lack of public spaces essential for residents’ health and well-being. The public land within the former Enemalta gas plant presents an opportunity for a community-based project that would benefit everyone. In contrast, the development of three large buildings would only further degrade the quality of life and environmental conditions in the surrounding area.
While the organisations do not object to development on the privately owned portion of the site, the proposed three, six-storey, blocks facing ODZ are excessive and out of scale with their surroundings. The Local Plan designates the adjacent development zone for a maximum of three storeys. There is no legitimate justification for allowing these structures to rise to twice the height of neighboring buildings, creating an imposing mass along the ODZ boundary.
Over two-thirds of the land covered by PC/00022/23 is owned by either the government company Enemalta or the Lands Authority. Therefore, the developer required government approval before submitting this zoning application. We reiterate that the government has a duty to ensure that any proposed development respects both residents and the environment – something this proposal, in its current form, clearly fails to do.
We urge the Planning Authority to reject this Planning Control application and call on the Government to ensure that any future proposal serves the common good.
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L-applikazzjoni fuq art pubblika fil-Qajjenza ma taqdix il-ġid komuni
Il-Moviment Graffitti, flimkien mal-għaqdiet tar-residenti Għaqda Storja u Kultura Birżebbuġa u Marsaxlokk Heritage, ma jaqblux mal-applikazzjoni PC/00022/23 ta’ Paul Attard. Din l-applikazzjoni qed tfittex li tbiddel il-Pjan Lokali sabiex ikun permess il-bini ta’ sitt blokok ta’ appartamenti u uffiċini fuq is-sit tal-Enemalta, fejn kien jinħażen il-gass, ġewwa l-Qajjenza, Birżebbuġa. L-applikazzjoni se tiġi deċiża mill-Kunsill Eżekuttiv tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar nhar it-Tlieta, 4 ta’ Frar, fit-3:00 p.m.
Il-maġġoranza tas-sit inkwistjoni huwa tal-Enemalta, u għalhekk pubbliku, filwaqt li parti oħra hija privata.
L-għaqdiet jopponu bis-saħħa l-bini ta’ tliet blokok ta’ seba’ sulari kull waħda fuq il-parti tal-art li hija pubblika, irrispettivament minn jekk din tiġix żviluppata mill-privat jew minn entità pubblika. Il-Qajjenza diġà hija żona kkonġestjonata, b’densità ta’ popolazzjoni għolja u b’nuqqas qawwi ta’ spazji pubbliċi, tant essenzjali għas-saħħa u l-benesseri tar-residenti. L-art pubblika fejn kien hemm il-ħażna tal-gass tal-Enemalta toffri opportunità għal proġett għall-komunità li minnu jgawdi kulħadd. Tliet binjiet għoljin se jagħmlu l-oppost ta’ dan, għaliex se jgħarrqu l-kwalità tal-ħajja u l-ambjent tal-madwar.
Filwaqt li t-tliet għaqdiet ma għandhomx oġġezzjoni għal żvilupp fil-parti privata tas-sit, il-proposta ta’ tliet blokok ta’ sitt sulari kull waħda, biswit l-ODZ, hija eċċessiva u sproporzjonata. Il-Pjan Lokali jistabbilixxi li fiż-żona tal-iżvilupp li tmiss ma’ dan is-sit huwa permess għoli ta’ tliet sulari. Ma teżisti ebda ġustifikazzjoni leġittima għaliex l-istrutturi fis-sit għandhom jogħlew id-doppju tal-bini biswithom, u joħolqu ċappa massiċċa fix-xifer tal-ODZ.
Iktar minn żewġ terzi tas-sit fl-applikazzjoni PC/00022/23 huwa ta’ sjieda tal-kumpanija tal-Gvern Enemalta u tal-Awtorità tal-Artijiet. Għalhekk, l-iżviluppatur kellu jġib permess mingħand il-Gvern sabiex jissottometti din l-applikazzjoni. Aħna ntennu li l-Gvern għandu d-dmir jiżgura li l-iżvilupp f’din il-proposta jirrispetta kemm lir-residenti kif ukoll lill-ambjent, xi ħaġa li bħalissa ċarament ma jagħmilx.
Qegħdin nagħmlu appell lill-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar sabiex tirrifjuta din l-applikazzjoni, filwaqt li nsejħu lill-Gvern sabiex jiżgura li kwalunkwe proposta oħra tkun taqdi l-ġid komuni.
