Lija council opposes 'monstrosity' of proposed apartment block

Lija mayor Magda Magri Naudi warns that proposed construction of block of apartments will ruin the character of the area 

The architects' design for the proposed apartment block in Triq Daniel Sammut
The architects' design for the proposed apartment block in Triq Daniel Sammut
The land in Lija earmarked for development (opposite the swimming pool)
The land in Lija earmarked for development (opposite the swimming pool)

The Lija local council is objecting to the proposed construction of a five-storey block of apartments close to the Belvedere Tower.

The planning application in Triq Daniel Sammut, by developer Joseph Portelli, has been recommended for approval by the Planning Authority’s case officer. The Planning Authority board will convene next week to make a decision on whether the proposal should go ahead.

Lija mayor Magda Magri Naudi warned that the development would destroy the character of the area, currently dominated by villas and bungalows.

“The buildings will be five storeys high, which will mean that their residents will be able to peep onto their neighbours’ swimming pools and gardens. This is simply not on,” she told MaltaToday.  “95% of residents in the area have opposed the development.”

She said that the proposed block of apartments could house over 1,000 people, which would be akin to cramming half the population of Lija into 1% of the village’s area.

Moreover, she expects the development will add to the traffic and parking woes of Lija residents, particularly since the development brief only includes 30 garages.

In a letter to the Planning Authority, the local council unanimously objected to the development and questioned why it hadn’t been consulted on the tweaking of the local plan that permitted such development.

“Such development is not congruous to the very fabric that makes up this part of Lija, and will lead to a very densely populated area, only found in Malta in cities like Valletta and Sliema,” the council wrote. “Lija is a village and this certainly needs to be borne in mind when such planning decisions are taken.

“The residents surrounding this development and beyond have vociferously protested to us against this enormous development, whose proposed height is much too high for our village fabric.”

The council added that the proposed development will block the sun from the villas south of it. 

Airline captain Robin Zammit, a resident of Lija, told the PA that the development will both devalue his property and infringe on his privacy.

“My rights of enjoyment and privacy within the sanctity of my home, pool and garden area will be totally lost, as I will have 27 flats looking directly onto me, in an area that was not designated for such development when I acquired it in 2004,” he wrote. “To compound the travesty, whilst my block is constrained to two floors and 60% open space, unusable curtilages and all sorts of other restrictions to preserve the ambience, the opposite block seems to have been allowed development of practically the full plot, as well as a vertical extent allowing five floors (4+1). This is completely unfair and a double whammy for the residents of my side of the street.