Burmarrad mall and supermarket set for approval

Burmarrad’s transformation from a rural hamlet into a fully-fledged commercial area is set to continue. The Planning Authority is expected to approve a four-storey shopping mall on the site of the car repair and rental depot owned by Burmarrad Commercials.

The development is set to include a supermarket, retail outlets, catering establishments, office space, and four levels of basement parking accommodating 572 cars.

The existing car rental and storage depot will be relocated to Marsa, on the site previously occupied by Union Print.

The development, proposed by Burmarrad Commercials Ltd, which is owned by the Gauci family, was made possible by changes to the local plan approved in 2019. These changes re-zoned a 20,000sq.m stretch along Burmarrad Road into a commercial area.

Previously, the area was zoned for storage, vehicle repairs, and showrooms with a maximum height of one storey. The new zoning allows for commercial development—including offices, retail shops, and catering establishments—rising to 17.5 metres, as proposed in the current application.

For this reason, the project has been deemed to conform with existing policies, even though supermarkets are not specifically mentioned among the developments allowed in the area. However, the inclusion of supermarkets in other commercial areas is cited by the case officer as justification for approval.

Traffic impact

The development is expected to generate an estimated 1,818 additional car trips, which the case officer describes as “significant.” Transport studies related to the application indicate that this increase in traffic will require an upgrade of the Erba’ Mwieżeb roundabout, particularly to address congestion on the Kennedy Drive arm. The entry width of this arm will be increased from 7.1 metres to 8 metres. Modifications to the roundabout will retain the current geometry while introducing bypass lanes for left turns from Kennedy Drive and Triq Burmarrad. No changes are foreseen to the Mosta Road arm, as this would impact third-party property.

Plans for the junction upgrade will be carried out by Infrastructure Malta, while the developer will be expected to contribute 3% of the costs, a sum which, according to Transport Malta, reflects the share of network traffic generated by the new development.

Visual impact

The case officer praised the design of the new buildings, describing it as an improvement over the existing industrial and deteriorated urban fabric, which will be “recomposed to provide legibility, identity, and liveability with the new contemporary building that aims to create a fresh attraction point.”

The design was also endorsed by the Design Advisory Committee and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, which had previously requested photomontages to assess the development’s impact on the surrounding rural area.

This development permission is subject to a €100,000 bank guarantee to ensure that the existing yard used for heavy vehicle parking, located to the east and opposite the Burmarrad Commercial Area, is closed down and rehabilitated back to agricultural use to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority.

A 3-metre pedestrian footpath is also being proposed along the full length of the site facing the rural area, as indicated on approved plans.