Fgura green enclave could make way for 88 flats and 14 shops

A green enclave and a row of terraced houses in the heart of Fgura are slated for the development of 88 apartments and 14 shops.

The large plot of land is situated between Triq Mater Boni Consilii,  Triq il-Pluviera, Triq Kent and Triq L-Isponsun.

The proposed development set over 5,345sq.m will entail the demolition of existing terraced houses, garages and a licensed warehouse and the excavation of the entire site. Instead, three basement parking levels and five residential blocks with four full floors and a penthouse level will go up around an internal private garden.

The development is being proposed by Tarcisio Piscopo’s Lavarest Ltd. The company declared that it does not own the entire site but has been granted the consent of the owners to present the application.

The plans also foresee the retention of an existing old farmhouse and its reuse as two offices. A public garden on part of the project’s footprint will also be created.

The application will require the uprooting of several mature trees, including 28 citrus trees, 12 evergreens, three cypress trees, a fig tree and many prickly pear plants.

The Environment and Resources Authority has recommended that the existing trees on site, other than the invasive alien species are transplanted within the project or to another site.

The ERA has also asked the developer to present data on the expected increase in traffic flow generated by the project.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage took note of the intention to retain a farmhouse and a WWII shelter which extends underneath the site. But the SCH warned the site is one of high archaeological sensitivity in view of the discovery of a well-tomb during trenching along Triq l-Isponsun.

Any works on site must be monitored by an approved archaeologist under the direction of the Superintendence.

Previous attempt to develop site was refused

In 2021, the Planning Authority had refused a zoning application by the Bilom Group to construct a new road linking Triq il-Pluviera to Triq L-Isponsun, which would have paved the way for residential development on the same green area.

The proposed road link was meant to define the building alignment of future residential development and would have led to the demolition of a century-old farmhouse, which presently defines the area.

The zoning application would have paved the way the development of 209 basement garages, 23 maisonettes, 69 apartments and 17 penthouses.

Although initially slated for approval by the case officer, the proposal was met by firm objections by the Fgura local council and was ultimately rejected by the PA’s Executive Committee.

Unlike the previous application, the new application no longer envisages the destruction of the old farmhouse and includes more landscaped areas.

This is made possible by the change in the project’s lay out because the site now includes a row of terraced houses that will be pulled down.