MEPA rejects Mosta play area on former ODZ site

A request by the Mosta local council for the inclusion of a play area on a 16,000 square metre site added to development zones in 2006, has been shot down by the planning authority’s Planning Directorate.

The site, located in an area known as il-Hotba taz-Zokrija, is owned by Easy Sell Properties Ltd and 10 individual plot owners, who include construction magnate Charles Polidano ‘ic-Caqnu’.

MEPA is currently drafting zoning and height limitation policies for this site.

In its submissions to MEPA the Mosta council noted: “it is unfortunate that yet another unbuilt space is to undergo development”. 

The council also objected to the absence of any garden or play area on the site earmarked for development. 

“It is suggested that such an open space be mandatory and layout redesigned to accommodate it,” it argued. 

The council also proposed that a water catchment facility should be integrated under the play/open space.

In case this was not possible the council asked for a financial contribution which would be used to upgrade an existing play area at ta’ Zokrija.

But in a meeting held in January the Planning Directorate’s advisory team shot down this request because of existing commitments to owners of plots and the “the highly fragmented pattern of land ownership”.

The former ODZ site will have a height limitation of three floors and a penthouse level.

This suggests that MEPA is no longer following a recommendation to limit heights on rationalization sites to two floors. 

In October 2008, the minister responsible for planning wrote to MEPA recommending a two-storey limit on sites added to development boundaries through the rationalization exercise: this policy was adopted by the MEPA board and applied to all sites affected by the rationalization exercise.

But the development follows the policy set in the 2006 rationalization document which states that any development on these newly added development sites must be of the same height or lower than adjacent properties. 

In this case the development will still be slightly lower than the adjoining development, which consists of three floors plus a semi-basement. The height limitation for this rationalization site is being proposed as three floors but with a basement rather than a semi-basement. 

The third floor on that part of the site fronting on Triq iz-Zejfa will have to be receded by six metres from the underlying floor. If a penthouse level is constructed, this is to be set back by a further six metres from the underlying floor. 

According to the Planning Directorate the terracing effect that will result from the imposed set-backs of the receded floor and the penthouse will act as a suitable interface between the scheme edge and the Outside Development Zone area.  

MEPA will be taking a final decision on the zoning of this site tomorrow.