Flats and offices on Qajjenza LPG site set for approval

A zoning application filed by developer Paul Attard proposing residential and commercial development on the site of the decommissioned LPG plant in Qajjenza, partly owned by the majority state-owned Enemalta, are being recommended for approval by the Planning Directorate, with a final decision scheduled for 4 February. 

According to the latest zoning plans, the six new residential and commercial blocks will cover 7,416sq.m, while the remaining 15,465sq.m of the site will be designated as public open space, with an underground car park. 

Contacted by MaltaToday, Paul Attard declared that his involvement in the project is strictly limited to the three residential blocks being proposed on the privately owned part of the land and he categorically excluded any interest in building the three massive commercial blocks being proposed on land owned by Enemalta.    

Details of the new residential and commercial blocks 

The new plans include three residential blocks located on the privately owned northern part of the site facing the ODZ, which will rise to 19.9m (the equivalent of six floors).  

Part of the residential block facing Triq l-Ghanneja will be limited to a height of 17.5m (the equivalent of five floors). The privately owned area in the northern part of the former LPG facility facing the ODZ had been released back to its owners after the plant was decommissioned.   

Meanwhile, the three commercial blocks, which will rise to 22m (seven floors), are planned for the part of the site owned by Enemalta. These commercial spaces will include retail shops and food and drink establishments at ground floor level and overlying office space.  

A car park is also being proposed beneath part of the public open space on the southwest part of the site. The area zoned as public open space includes an existing concrete canopy, which is being retained due to its architectural merits, as recommended by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage. 

Enemalta, which has consented to Attard’s application, owns 13,561sq.m of the 23,906sq.m site. Another 3,408sq.m of land is owned by the government. 

How the local plan will change 

The new zoning policy for the area being proposed by Attard’s Plan B Limited will replace a policy in the Marsaxlokk Bay Local Plan approved in 1995. The local plan, which Attard wants to change for the development, allows up to four floors on the part of the Qajjenza seafront facing the sea. This translates to a height of 19.9 to 22m, with a semi-basement allowed under post-2015 policies.  

The local plan does not identify a height limitation for the onshore areas presently identified for development. However, in other parts of Qajjenza, which do not directly face the promenade, heights are limited to three floors, which is translated to a height of between 15.4m and 17.5m if a semi-basement is allowed. 

The local plan also foresees the development of part of the site as a boat storage area and limits commercial development to food and drink outlets, thus excluding office development. 

In his justification for the proposed building heights, the applicant explained that although the buildings will be taller than those in the surrounding area, this is justified by the larger public open spaces, the preservation of the concrete structure, the streetscape on Triq il-Qajjenza, the more spacious and better-lit apartments, and the overall improvements in sustainability and green features. 

The case officer also argued that the proposed building heights offer the benefit of larger open spaces for the public, as well as better amenities in the apartment designs. 

How plans were downscaled 

The latest proposal does not include any development on the area facing Triq il-Qajjenza and the shoreline, as originally proposed in plans submitted last year. Instead, it concentrates the commercial and residential development on the northern part of the site along a new pedestrian road cutting through the site. The original plans also included six blocks with a height ranging between 22m and 35.5m. 

But the plans were changed after Energy Minister Miriam Dalli, whose portfolio includes Enemalta, expressed her dismay at photomontages published by MaltaToday in June 2024. The photomontage was later removed from the Planning Authority’s public information system. Enemalta had previously granted consent to the zoning application, which seeks to amend the local plan that currently limits development to three floors, rising to four by the seafront.  

A final decision on the zoning application, setting the parameters for future development on the site, will be taken by the Planning Authority’s Executive Council, chaired by Johann Buttigieg, on 4 February.