Eight-storey ‘industrial’ complex in Marsa set for approval

A 30-metre-high terraced warehouse and office complex located on the site of the disused Edible Oil Refinery factory is set for approval thanks to a change in the local plan which removed a 12m heights limit on industrial sites in Marsa and Mrieħel.

The project is proposed by Regenerations Projects, a company owned by Tum Invest and Burmarrad Commercials. The complex will be 110m away from the St Vincent de Paule home for the elderly.

And although the area is designated for industrial use, the project includes over 8,400sq.m of showrooms, 21,000sq.m for warehouses, 17,700 sq.m of light-industry space, and over 10,000sq.m of open spaces.

The mix of uses was deemed acceptable by the PA’s planning directorate’s advisory team, as it is line with the Strategic Plan’s designation for an enterprise hub in Marsa.

The 43,500sq.m site fronts Triq l-Imgiered and Triq Emmanuel Luigi Galizia, where the former EORC factory stood, and with a large tract of vacant land.

The site enjoys uninterrupted views across the Marsa sports complex and golf course.

The project height will climb from 11.6m to a landmark block of 30.3m, the equivalent of seven to eight floors.

The height limits for the area was changed through a partial review of the Central Malta Local Plan last year, removing the 12m height limits, substituted by “non-numeric, urban design policies to guide the assessment of building heights.”

The PA’s case officer report says the development offers a significant opportunity in terms of “visual and architectural gain”, and that it respects “the context of the industrial uses in terms of zoning” as a standalone building.

The case officer is recommending the development for approval but a final decision will be taken by the PA’s Planning Board on 17 March.