Is road-widening triggering urban sprawl?

Road-widening projects have triggered a new trend for planning applications being presented along roads either recently widened, or which have been recently permitted.

These include two supermarkets on the Tal-Balal road in San Gwann, and a roadside cafeteria and a retail centre in Mriehel along the Central Link route.

Transport Malta issued its clearance for a proposed Lidl supermarket in Zebbug, claiming any traffic it will generate will be mitigated by the Central Link project in Attard.

And for major developments in Paceville like the DB Group’s City Centre, the absence of major infrastructural works would result in a major gridlock.

Moviment Graffitti has expressed its concern that road-widening projects are actually triggering these proposed developments which will in turn cancel any due reduction in traffic, by the demand they create.

“If you allow supermarkets to be built along newly widened roads you will simply get more cars; you would have simply created new roads for them, with the traffic soon being jammed once again,” Graffitti said. “Is the widening of roads simply a pretext for more buildings?”

While the sheer presentation of an application by a private developer is no guarantee for developers that their applications will be approved, road-widening does remove one of the greatest obstacles faced by these applications: namely that these would result in junction failure.

Yet it may well be the case that the authorities will be under greater pressure when faced with applications along the widened road network, simply because by approving them they would vindicate the claim that road-widening is a pretext for urban sprawl.

The Environment and Resources Authority, whose representative on the Planning Authority board voted for the Central Link project in Attard, is objecting to most of these applications including the one proposed in Mriehel and Zebbug.

Developments facilitated by road widening

Lidl supermarket in Zebbug

The proposed development envisages the demolition of the existing SMW Cortis building to make way for a Lidl supermarket. The new supermarket’s underground car park will be accessed from Attard Road while access to the loading bay will be from Mdina Road. The project will spill over onto a significant portion of land outside development zones, to accommodate parking and road access. Transport Malta confirmed that the new development could not be approved in the absence of the new road network. But it has now issued its clearance, claiming that the traffic it will generate will be mitigated by the Central Link project in Attard.

Roadside cafeteria in Mriehel

A cafeteria being proposed instead of a derelict lime factory along the extended Central Link network, which will bring it closer to the Mriehel bypass. Located right opposite the Fort Business Centre, the area in front of the site is being expropriated as part of the massive roads project. The ERA is objecting to the development, warning that excavation of a basement for a car park would commit more ODZ land for future “piecemeal” development.

Garden and retail centre in Attard

An ODZ retail and office development on agricultural land off Sqaq il-Hofra in Attard, down along the alley from the Citroen showroom and petrol station. The area where the development is proposed has been brought closer to the road network by the controversial Central Link project, which will be directly connected to the alley. An underground car-park for 51 car spaces is also proposed. The ERA is objecting to the development.

Tal-Balal supermarkets

Two adjacent supermarkets proposed instead of a site currently occupied by the Kwikmix concrete plant along the recently widened Tal-Balal road. The development is being proposed by JDG Holdings, a company owned by Joseph Cassar. The development, set on 7,254sq.m, does not occupy the site of the actual batching plant which is located further inside the rural area. The supermarkets, set to be developed over one level, will rise to a maximum of 7.3m and be separated by a landscaped area, each occupying 1,400sq.m of land fronting the landscaped area along the road.

Paceville developments

The Pembroke tunnel was first proposed in the application for the DB Group’s high-rise development project which, along other developments in St George’s bay, is expected to generate 7,000 new car trips. The project has to be re-assessed by the Planning Authority after its approval was revoked by the law courts. Infrastructure Malta insists that the proposed road network is aimed to reduce traffic in several residential roads in Pembroke, Swieqi and St Julian’s “whilst developing the necessary infrastructure to meet the area’s future transportation requirements”. The impact on heritage and ecological sites along the route still has to be assessed.