Qormi local council objects to 13-floor high rise

The Qormi local council is objecting to a 13-storey high rise, warning of the visual impact the massive tower will have on the entrance to Qormi.

The office block will rise up to 45m, and is earmarked in the vicinity of the roundabout junction between Qormi road, Valletta road, and Triq l-Erba Qaddisin, on the site of an old farmhouse which will be restored and retained.

The council warned against any increase in traffic in the area, noting that the junction was already dangerous, and significant delays were already being experienced along Triq Manuel Dimech and Triq San Bastjan. Access to the development is also being proposed directly onto and from the roundabout, which the council says would create a safety hazard to other vehicles using the roundabout.

At 13 storeys the development is a “medium high rise” according to the application presented to the Planning Authority in January by Federico Rossi, who claims full ownership of the development.

Qormi is not included among the localities identified for high-rise development, which is defined by policy as any building over 10 floors high. But the development is being proposed in the vicinity of Mriehel, which was included in the high-rise zone by the government at the latest stage after the conclusion of public consultation on the policy. The high-rise policy failed to define the exact boundaries of the sites proposed for high-rise development.

The new high rise will be located a short distance away from a proposed DIY retail centre opposite the Qormi park and ride. The PA recently stopped works there after developers started dismantling an old farmhouse in the absence of a restoration method statement. The farmhouse was being demolished to be rebuilt in another area. Archeological investigations in the area earmarked for the DIY store resulted in the discovery of cart ruts and a Roman tomb, which are set to be incorporated in the development as approved by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage.