Factories and warehouses in Valletta Road, Mosta, are to be transformed into Malta’s first “shopping village” comprising a supermarket, numerous retail outlets, restaurants and a parking lot.

The planning authority yesterday unanimously approved PG Holdings Ltd’s application to develop the grounds of the Francesco Fenech plant on the outskirts of Mosta, Naxxar and Birkirkara, covering approximately 32,000 square metres of flat land.

The investment in the project is estimated to be around €20 million and it is expected to generate approximately 500 jobs.

The project aims to turn the existing site into a commercial shopping village mostly centred on a large supermarket.

The supermarket will occupy the two large factory warehouses that will be refurbished to create a state-of-the-art outlet.

A separate building located on the west side of the site will be developed into a retail complex that will help enhance the customers’ shopping experience.

A total of 552 car spaces will be open to the public free of charge 24 hours a day and will be directly accessible from Pantar Road and Valletta Road.

A digital model of the shopping village.

Catering establishments will also be open until late. A car-wash facility will be available within the car park, situated near the boundary wall that separates the site from the Mosta FC football ground.

The two-storey complex will also include a chapel, storage facilities and the installation of photovoltaic panels on the new supermarket roof.

The planning directorate noted there would be an increase in air quality problems in a situation which was already critical.

The board therefore asked the applicant to contribute €50,000 that would be poured into air quality studies to seek out ways of mitigating air pollution.

The board also insisted on further soft landscaping to be undertaken in the car park to provide more greenery and embellishment to the area.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage noted there was a high risk that development may uncover cultural heritage features. The works will therefore be monitored.

It is planned that the development will start operating in September 2015.