Naxxar towers project seeks two additional floors

San Pawl tat-Targa Investments Limited, the developer behind the Naxxar Towers project in Naxxar has submitted a new application proposing the extension of the penthouse level and the addition of two floors to one of the two blocks of the approved development on the site of the former trade fair’s car park along Triq il-Markiz Giuseppe Scicluna.

If approved this will add eight new apartments to the 136 approved in 2021.

The request follows an earlier Planning Control amendment, which revised the zoning parameters for the urban block by reducing the front garden setback from three metres to 1.2 metres along all site frontages.

The Planning Control amendment was based on the reconfiguration of open space and development parameters within the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) framework. The revision reduced the zoned front garden area from approximately 860sq.m to around 351sq.m.

Reducing the front garden designation increased the potential developable footprint by approximately 509sq.m. This effectively paved the way for the two additional floors on one of the blocks which is being proposed now.

The original development at the site was approved in December 2021 and consists of two residential towers, one of 10 storeys and the other with eight storeys. As approved in 2021 the development includes 136 residential units, four basement levels of parking, and a mix of commercial and community uses, as well as internal landscaped open space.

A representation has been submitted objecting to the current application. The objection raises concerns about increased traffic generation, parking demand, and the capacity of surrounding roads in Naxxar. It also refers to cumulative development impacts in the locality and states that the existing road network consists largely of narrow residential streets and lanes.

The objection further refers to the height of the existing approved development in relation to the surrounding village context, including its proximity to the parish church, and argues that further intensification would increase pressure on local infrastructure and alter the local skyline.