New five-storey office block sets precedent in Xewkija

The  Planning Authority has approved a five-storey office block instead of the Vinyard restaurant on Triq l-Imgarr next to the Lidl in Gozo.

The Planning Commission overruled the case officer and the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage which had recommended a refusal.

The approval sets a precedent for highly visible five storey developments in an area where the predominant buildings are one to two floors.

The new commercial block located at the margin of the Xewkija industrial estate will also include a retail shop at ground floor level. It was proposed by Mark Agius, owner of the Ta’ Dirjanu supermarket and a business partner of construction magnate Joseph Portelli. The office block will occupy the entire 825sq.m presently occupied by the two-storey restaurant and its surrounding gardens.

The case officer had recommended a refusal because the proposed development was incompatible “with the urban design and environmental characteristics of the surrounding area” and because it will not  “contribute towards the improvement of the visual amenity of the area, and therefore runs counter to the Gozo and Comino Local Plan”.

The  Gozo and Comino Local Plan does not set a height limitation for this area, which means that buildings should respect the predominant height of buildings within the surrounding area which in this case  is one of two floors. Furthermore, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage after analysing a photomontage presented by the developer, had warned that the new block would intrude upon long distance views of the landscape surrounding  the Cittadella as seen from this strategic road.

But the Planning Commission chaired by Stefania Baldacchino concluded that the proposed development will not intrude on the long-distance views of Cittadella itself.