Mqabba residents urge public to object to Portelli mega project on agricultural land

Mqabba residents are banding together against a proposed project of a block of apartments by Joseph Portelli.

Residents are outraged that the block, which is proposed to rise up to five stories in a zone where municipal plans only permit three stories, will obstruct one of the last remaining open spaces in Imqabba. The proposal calls for the building of 43 apartments in total.

The objection period for PA/04317/23 expires on Monday 4 September.

Read also: Portelli group seeks five-storey permit on Mqabba farmland

A spokeswoman representing the locals claimed that "this development is out of scale with the surroundings and runs counter to existing policies." She further stated that the project will harm the surrounding environment, deprive residents of a green lung, and increase traffic and pollution.

Additionally, the locals said that since fireworks are let off from neighbouring fields, local fireworks enthusiasts may have difficulties in their work.

“The block will be built on agricultural land. Does the country really afford to sacrifice more farmland for development? What about the promise to create new open spaces? Have the residents of Mqabba been forgotten once again? Is their voice secondary to the interests of developers?” the residents said in a statement.

Residents are urging the public to submit their arguments to the planning authority by Monday, 4 September.

“This is a similar story to what is going on in many other towns. We believe that it is time for us to stand up to be counted, as residents in other towns have done,” the residents concluded.

One can object to the project by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/aktsa6t9