12 apartment blocks approved on Swatar valley side

The Planning Authority (PA) approved the development on a sloping 17,455sq.m site behind the Charles Grech outlet on Valley Road, Msida, despite widespread opposition from residents.

The site was added to the development zone in 2006, subject to a condition stipulating that the lower half of the site could accommodate low-density detached buildings, while the upper half was to remain largely open. Instead, the approved application extends across the entire site.

The PA justified its recommendation for approval on the basis of a volumetric (3D) interpretation of "low density", which takes the site's topography into account.

Submitted by David Grech in 2017, the application establishes the zoning parameters for the new development. It was approved on condition that reservoirs with a minimum storage capacity of 7,400 cubic metres are constructed. This requirement is based on a technical report prepared by architect Philip Grech.

Discussion during today's meeting was limited to the reservoir issue, as all other planning matters had already been discussed during a previous meeting held in July.

Architect Carmel Cacopardo reminded the board that rainwater is currently absorbed across the entire valley and noted that the technical report itself suggests that the volume of runoff could exceed 7,400 cubic metres.

Labour MP Clint Azzopardi Flores, who had previously declared his opposition to the application, raised concerns about climate change and the need for adaptation measures in light of future flash floods that are expected to become more frequent. Other Labour figures who opposed the development included President Alex Sciberras and district MP Rebecca Buttigieg. The PN-led Msida Local Council and Momentum also objected to the proposal.

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The application had originally been scheduled for a decision by the Planning Authority in April, following a Planning Directorate report recommending approval. However, on 14 April, as the application was due to be considered by the Planning Authority's Executive Council, Executive Chairman Johann Buttigieg requested clarification on the case officer's conclusions. As a result, the item was withdrawn from the agenda and referred back for internal review.

Residents represented by the NGO Il-Kollettiv argued that the proposed development threatens one of Swatar's last remaining open spaces, describing the site as "a lung" in an area already heavily burdened by major traffic corridors serving Mater Dei Hospital and the University of Malta. More than 1,500 residents signed an official petition opposing the development