Five-storey Burmarrad commercial block recommended for approval

The Planning Board is set to decide this month on a five-level commercial development on land outside the development zone in Burmarrad which had previously been earmarked for a petrol station and other commercial projects.

Application PA/00219/26, submitted by Keith Grima, proposes a mixed-use building on an approximately 860 square metre sites along Triq Burmarrad, with four basement levels providing 62 parking spaces.

The development would include a restaurant with outdoor seating at ground-floor level, a showroom on the first floor, retail space on the second, offices on the third and a second restaurant on the recessed level.

The building would reach 17.5 metres, the maximum height now allowed under the planning rules governing the Burmarrad Commercial Area.

The possibility of such a development stem from changes to the local plan approved following a government proposal in 2018.

The previous 2006 zoning had designated the area as an Area of Containment but limited development to one storey, mainly for storage, vehicle repairs and showrooms.

The local plan changes transformed a roughly 20,000 square metre stretch along Burmarrad Road into a commercial area, allowing offices, retail and catering establishments and raising the height limit to 17.5 metres.

The changes were approved by the Planning Authority in 2019 and effectively paved the way for multi-storey commercial development on land which remains outside the development zone.

The current proposal is considerably different from plans reported earlier this year. A January application for the same site had envisaged a showroom, gym, spa, restaurant and rooftop padel court, with 70 parking spaces.

The site's planning history stretches back further. In 2016, Easysell had applied for a petrol station on the site. That proposal was subsequently abandoned after the Planning Authority approved a petrol station on a nearby plot owned by another company. Easysell later sought permission for other commercial uses on the site, including a retail outlet and a drive-through restaurant with offices.

The current application provides 62 parking spaces against a calculated requirement of 83, with the applicant required to pay €155,000 towards the parking shortfall.

Several objections were filed, including concerns over the building's height and form, amenity, light pollution, traffic and access, and the stability of existing rubble walls.

The site currently consists of disused agricultural land enclosed by traditional rubble walls, although parts of the land have been altered over the years. The case officer report refers to a 1997 enforcement case, EC/01463/97, concerning the unauthorised excavation of soil and construction of a retaining wall.

The case officer is recommending approval, subject to conditions including a three-metre public pedestrian passage along the site's rural edge.