Planning Authority caps Qrendi development height at existing school level

The Planning Authority capped the height of a proposed residential development behind Qrendi primary school at the level of the existing school building.

The height of the new building is set at a maximum of 13.24 meters. The school is 8.5 meters high but the new buildings will be set on  different levels. 

In a meeting held on Tuesday, the Authority's Executive Council postponed its decision on planning control application PC/00059/20 by six weeks, giving developer Michael Bugeja, acting on behalf of Tan-Nadur Limited, time to submit revised plans.

The application seeks to establish planning parameters for the 2,476sq.m site, which was included in development boundaries in 2006, subject to an archaeological investigation. It also proposes new building alignments and a new street connecting Triq il-Kurat Mizzi and Triq l-Iskola.

The Council has imposed an absolute height limit of 118.5 metres above mean sea level, corresponding to the height of the existing school. This means development can proceed, but no buildings will be allowed to rise above the 8.5 meter high school.

The project had been recommended for approval by the Development and Management Directorate, which defended a proposed 14.1-metre façade facing the school by comparing it with a hypothetical additional floor that could be built on the school itself.

It argued that, taking differences in street levels into account, the development would have a slightly lower massing than a hypothetical three-storey school.

Residents challenged this comparison, warning that the five-storey block would tower over the existing school and its sports facilities.

The latest height restriction instead uses the existing school building as the benchmark. Yet, due to different site levels, the new building could still rise up to 13.2 meters.

The revised plans must also ensure that no part of the site earmarked for development is less than three metres wide, while the remainder must be designated as a green area, even if its size is not specified. The developable area will be restricted to residential use.

The council further stipulated that no works can commence before an archaeological study is carried out on this part of the site.

The revised proposal must also safeguard views towards the church from the rear of the site and provide an appropriate transition with its surroundings.

The decision comes amid mounting opposition to development pressures in Qrendi. Last month, the Planning Board unanimously approved a separate five-storey development comprising 46 residential units and 56 garages on the edge of the village's Urban Conservation Area, around 85 metres from the parish church. The project attracted more than 1,000 objections.

Residents are also opposing another planning control application, PC/00053/26, covering 10,447sq.m of land off Triq Dun Nerik Mahoney and Triq San Nikola. It proposes residential development reaching up to 17.5 metres near the protected Torri tal-Kaptan and its historic garden.

On 30 October, residents raised their concerns directly with Environment Minister Miriam Dalli during the inauguration of a public garden in Qrendi. They called for help in addressing the cumulative impact of development proposals on the village.

Dalli acknowledged their concerns about excessive development in rural communities but said she could not intervene directly in Planning Authority decisions.