Press Release

Din l-Art Helwa is very concerned by an application (PA 01682/16) for the construction of a large block of apartments in Daniel Sammut Str, Lija, which will be decided by the Planning Authority board tomorrow. In our view, the proposal is a gross mis-interpretation of the spirit of the recently introduced policy DC15, which attempts to put the street scape at the core of all decisions.

This type of development is not in line with the characteristics of this two-storey villa area, but mis-uses the new building heights to pack in 5 floors. Developments with such a high density are unsustainable in this context, where 27 flats are proposed in the space previously occupied by 2 houses and over-stretches the the capacity of the road network and parking spaces of the area.

The analysis of the streetscape fails to represent the true character of the area, and mis-interprets the maxim of the Local Plan which  specifically says for this area CG 07 “residential institutions provided that they are of a small scale and do not create adverse impacts on the residential amenity of the area”

This project may also create an unfortunate precedent for similar developments. Din l-Art Helwa therefore urges the Planning Authority to refuse this application.

14th June 2016