Clyde Caruana joins opposition against proposed Żabbar elderly home

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has voiced his opposition to the development of a five-storey elderly home in his home town of Żabbar.

Caruana, who is elected on the Żabbar district and is a former mayor of the locality, said he supports the council’s position against the development.

He is the second government MP to publicly voice opposition to the proposed elderly home after Carmelo Abela’s comments earlier on Thursday.

Their comments come ahead of a protest scheduled for Monday 8 December against the five-storey development. The protest is being led by the Żabbar local council and Moviment Graffitti.

Żabbar Mayor Jorge Grech said the council feels this development will greatly harm the character of the locality and residents’ quality of life.

He noted that if it is built, the building would create blank party walls, stand out from its surroundings, and block the view of fireworks during the feast.

Grech added that the developer can further apply for two more storeys under the current planning policy, bringing the total number of storeys to seven.

“We believe that this development will greatly harm Ħaż-Żabbar’s character and the quality of life in our city,” the mayor stated.