ERA ‘not averse’ to old people’s home in Naxxar ODZ Quarry

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has signalled it is “not averse” to the development of a residential care home within an existing quarry in Naxxar.

The proposed project, which also includes external landscaped parks and pjazzas, is outside the development zone between Labour Avenue and the Higher Secondary complex.

However, ERA warned that restaurants and retail outlets proposed for the site “might be in conflict” with the residential care home.

The ODZ site is currently used for quarrying operations, including crushing and stockpiling of material, and also houses a cold asphalt batching plant, a concrete batching plant, hollow concrete brick plants, garages, and offices.

ERA insisted that the proposed project must respect the surrounding landscape and topography. It also requested that the developer submit a Project Description Statement (PDS) to determine which environmental studies will be required.

The proposed development, by Carmel Vella Limited, includes extensive warehousing facilities below ground level, retail and restaurant spaces with outdoor seating, a five-storey residential care home and clinic, as well as a car park with 625 bays and external landscaped parks and pjazzas.

The Naxxar Local Council has raised concerns about the project, particularly due to its location within a designated Strategic Open Gap. While acknowledging that the site is already developed, the council warned that approving such a large-scale project could set a precedent for further development on adjacent lands. The council also highlighted the need for a comprehensive transport impact assessment, given the site’s proximity to the Higher Secondary school complex, and raised concerns about the strain the development could place on service infrastructure networks.

BirdLife objects

BirdLife Malta has also objected to the project, arguing that the designation of the site as a Strategic Open Gap precludes urban sprawl and commercial development. The local plan limits development in Strategic Open Gaps to afforestation, agricultural developments, and country paths.

According to BirdLife, the existing development should not be used as an excuse for “further urban expansion.” The organisation noted that other quarries have been restored to nature through afforestation and called for the site to be rehabilitated and used as a public green space.

So far, more than 160 objections have been filed objecting to the development.

This proposal is part of a broader trend of redeveloping privately owned quarries and batching plants located outside the development zone. Similar projects include a shopping mall approved behind the Lidl supermarket in Għaxaq, as well as plans for a shopping mall and supermarket in a quarry along Wied is-Sewda, in a rural area of Ħaż-Żebbuġ.

In the past, several quarries have been restored for agricultural use, while others have been converted into solar farms.