11-storey development proposed in Ħaż-Żebbuġ

The owners of Michael Debono Ltd are proposing the site of the Toyota showroom on Mdina Road in Zebbug for the construction of an 11-story commercial and office tower.

The project will include restaurants and retail outlets at ground level, with the overlying nine floors and penthouse dedicated to office development. The project comes with 1,715sq.m of public open space.

A separate five-storey block on Siggiewi road will include a 1,200sq.m supermarket at ground level, and overlying health and medical facilities, and residential institution.

The development will also include three basement levels of parking spaces. The project is fronted by Michael and Geoffrey Debono’s Rohan Arch Ltd.

Zebbug is not identified as a zone suitable for high-rise development, defined as being over 10 floors, in the policy regulating tall buildings. But medium-rise buildings, defined as having twice the number of floors permitted in the local plan, can still be approved in any locality except Gozo. Such development is limited to over 5,000sq.m sites surrounded by roads on each side. The site in question covers 11,000sq.m.

The proposal has yet to be assessed by the Planning Authority, which designates this area as Hal Mula Mixed Use Area, where building heights are limited to 14 metres and no penthouses are allowed.