Visual study for Naxxar seven-storey development kept hidden

A proposed seven-storey Naxxar development, consisting of five blocks with 278 apartments, is causing concern over its visual impact as the Planning Authority withholds photomontages of the project.

The development is planned on a former quarry in the Saghjtar area, which ceased operations in the 1970s.

But despite concerns raised by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage, the Planning Authority has chosen not to release the ‘visual impact assessment,’ which includes photomontages depicting the proposed development.

The project with a floor area of 34,618sq.m will include five residential blocks and 501 parking spaces across three underground levels.

When questioned by MaltaToday about the absence of this critical document in the public information system, a spokesperson for the Planning Authority explained that it would only be made available once the case officer’s report, recommending approval or refusal of the project, is finalised.

In the past, visual impact assessments for other projects were typically published much earlier, either as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or as separate documents for projects not requiring a full EIA.

While the photomontages and visual assessment are unavailable to the public, 3D ‘internal’ views of the proposed development have been released. Unfortunately, these images provide limited insight into the potential impact of this substantial development on the town’s visual landscape.

Although not accessible to the public, the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has reviewed the Visual Impact Assessment and expressed concerns about the photomontages, which ‘indicate an evident impact on the skyline and townscape of Naxxar’ warning that the development as proposed will “create a distortion on this clearly defined profile”.

They also pointed out disparities between the original batch of photomontages and newer ones, particularly from specific viewpoints where the new development was once clearly visible but now appears barely visible.

The quarry where the development is proposed is bounded by three streets - Censu Muscat, Manwel Magri, and Ħawħ.

The apartment blocks will rise seven floors above street level, including two receded upper floors.

This ‘medium rise’ development is based on the Floor Area Ratio mechanism, allowing developments to exceed a town’s height limitations if a significant portion of the site is preserved as open public space. In this case, a public square is proposed at the eastern edge of the site. The development will be contained entirely within the footprint of the disused quarry.

An outline permit issued in 2008 already established parameters for the development, with building heights limited to seven floors. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage was not consulted during the issuance of this permit.

The current application involves an additional 3,844sq.m above ground and a substantial increase in development below ground level, including the construction of three basement levels.

The Environment and Resources Authority has exempted the project from the requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment and does not object to the development, especially considering the urban context.

In a Project Development Statement presented last year, the developer’s consultants claimed that the project would provide high-quality residential infrastructure to align with “the country’s current economic model”.

If approved, it is expected that the construction phase will take four to five years to complete, with excavation works estimated to generate 26,000 cubic meters of inert material.