Supermarket and mall proposed for Burmarrad after local plan changes

A four-storey retail development that will include a supermarket, offices, food outlets, health centre and gym is being proposed on Burmarrad Commercials’ car depot site, in Burmarrad.

The Gauci family already owns the site, and is spearheading the development, which will include a 490-space, three-level underground car park.

The development is made possible by changes to the local plan proposed by the government in 2018, to turn a 20,000sq.m stretch along Burmarrad Road into a full-blown commercial area.

The area was previously zoned for storage, vehicle repairs and showrooms at a maximum one-storey height. The new zoning allows commercial development rising to 17.5 metres.

The changes were approved by the Planning Authority in 2019, despite concerns that this would pave the way for the urbanisation of Burmarrad, which presently still blends in with its surrounding rural environment thanks to more stringent planning rules.

But the approval of a new petrol station on agricultural land, and the Kiabi discount store instead of a farmers’ winery right opposite Burmarrad Commercials, further accelerated the transformation of the rural village.

Additionally, Easysell Limited is seeking a permit for a 17.5m-high office development, over disused agricultural land right opposite the Kiabi store. Its “hypermodern design” was deemed “incongruous” for Burmarrad by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage.

Further down the road towards Mosta, another supermarket is being proposed by Bonnici Brothers outside development zones, where a new roundabout is being planned.

The Burmarrad Commercials redevelopment would increase the site’s built-up footprint from 852sq.m to 4,600sq.m, a four-fold increase in gross floor area to 30,000sq.m.

35% of the building’s energy consumption will be taken from a rooftop photovoltaic system, but generate an additional 1,417 car trips on Burmarrad Road.

The excavation of the parking levels will generate 46,600sq.m of construction waste.

The developers’ project statement warns that the height and massing of the development will result in changes to “the visual character of the site”.

But the Environment and Resources Authority has already given its go-ahead for the development since it will be limited to an already committed area. The ERA has requested more landscaping consisting of indigenous and fruit trees, particularly the side overlooking the area outside development zones.