Factories to rise to 35 metres on former Dowty site in Mriehel

Developments of up to 35 meters (the equivalent of around 10 floors) on a site in Mriehel facing Mdina Road may soon be approved through the fast-tracked Development Notification (DNO) procedure instead of requiring a full planning permit.

A legal notice issued for public consultation last week sets a height limitation of between 28 and 35 meters for developments which can be approved through a DNO on the site previously occupied by the Dowty factory which has been demolished and relocated.  The site includes the Busy Bee outlet and the surrounding area.

Most of the site which is government owned is presently abandoned following demolition of the Dowty factory.

The site is administrated by INDIS Malta Limited which is responsible for the administration of the government-owned industrial parks and related facilities.

The same legal notice identifies a building height of 15 to 21 meters on a nearby site along Triq is-Salib, presently used as a car park.

The car park site was previously identified for a 17-storey development in an application submitted and later withdrawn by INDIS predecessor namely Malta Industrial Parks.  The same 15 to 21 meters limit is also being proposed for the site of the Methode factory and that around the Consolidated Biscuits factory.

The area in question is designated for both industrial uses and for commercial and financial activities.

Through these changes any development on these sites not surpassing t this height limitation can be approved through the Development Notification Order procedure, a fast-tracked planning procedure applying to both minor developments in residential dwellings and also to larger developments in specific sites like the airport, sites administrated by the army and police force and government owned industrial sites.

A partial revision of local plans approved in 2021 had already removed a building height limitation of 14m for the INDIS Estate in Imriehel, in favor of a “non-numeric, urban design policies to guide the assessment of building heights” in this area.   These policies included “consideration to the site surroundings, the context of any scheduled buildings in the vicinity, as well as long distance views”.  This means that although the development can be approved through a notification procedure, it will still have to abide to certain criteria.

Moreover, the latest changes reintroduce a height limit for applications which can be approved through the DNO system but one which is considerably higher than that imposed before 2021.

The proposed legal notice also foresees new building heights within the INDIS industrial estate in Marsa where heights range between 15 and 28 meters.  In San Gwann a new site along Triq San Giljan has been added to the area where 28 high meter development can be approved through DNO procedure.

Development within these government owned industrial sites only need to be notified, provided they conform to the applicable height limitations.  During the public consultation on the removal of height limitation on MIP sites Din l-Art Helwa had warned that the removal of height limitations, meant that “any development within Mriehel MIP could proceed without consideration by any authority”.  But the PA replied that “urban design parameters” will still need to be addressed during the assessment of applications on these sites.