Naxxar council approves pedestrianisation plans

The Naxxar local council has approved plans to pedestrianise a residential road fronting a playing field in the town centre.

The proposal to pedestrianise Triq Kalċidon Agius was made by developer Emmanuel Farrugia. The road is currently closed due to ongoing works.

Farrugia already has a permit to build a commercial complex consisting of five shops and 28 overlying apartments in the area. This application followed a zoning request by the same developer that increased the developable area by changing the building alignment—a move previously opposed by the council.

Now, the developer is asking for the short road to be closed off to cars, a proposal supported by Naxxar Mayor Chris Deguara.

Deguara described the proposal as an opportunity to improve safety for people using the playing field, while creating a space for cultural and social activities.

“Presently, children immediately find themselves on the road as soon as they step off the pavement,” he said when contacted by MaltaToday. He emphasised that the council will retain full control over the pedestrianised space. The road will be closed to traffic through a bollard system but will remain accessible to emergency vehicles, with the council determining when it may be opened to traffic.

The mayor clarified that the developer had sought the council’s approval before submitting a zoning application for the area.

According to the mayor, the developer will be bound by a five-year maintenance agreement to take care of the planters in the area, but will have no commercial rights over the public space, which will be used at the council’s discretion. The council’s architect will also be involved in designing the pedestrian zone. Deguara mentioned the possibility of relocating the flea market to this area if the government agrees, adding that the proposal will enhance the locality by creating a new public space for cultural events.

The proposal was approved by the majority of councillors, with deputy mayor Joseph Spiteri and councillor Godwin Grech—both elected on the Nationalist Party ticket, like the mayor—voting against.

Spiteri questioned why the proposal was even being considered, noting that the Local Plan had originally designated a 10-metre-wide pavement to create a modern pedestrian zone.

Instead, he said, this planned pedestrian space was built over as a result of a previous zoning application. Had the rezoning not taken place, today’s proposal would not be necessary.

He argued that Triq Kalċidon Agius, although not a main road, is frequently used by drivers heading towards Vjal il-21 ta’ Settembru and helps reduce congestion at the major junction. The road also serves parents accessing the playing field, offering convenient parking and an informal drop-off point.

Closing it to vehicles would remove around 11–12 unrestricted parking spaces, leaving residents without parking while the council gains four guaranteed spaces for 30 years. Spiteri expressed hope that the proposal would not negatively impact the square planned in the local plan and suggested the government expropriate designated sites for public benefit.

The zoning application to which the council objected in 2022 had shifted the building and front-garden alignments outwards, increasing the developable area by 458sq.m.

The mayor rebutted claims that the proposal would result in a net loss of parking, insisting that spaces removed from this area will be compensated elsewhere. Asked about the impact on parents dropping off children, he remarked that it is time to move away from the mentality that people must travel everywhere by car.