A planning application has been filed for the conversion of the former Belleview bakery in Mellieha into a supermarket, 18 apartments, five penthouses and underground parking.

It was once almost mandatory for beach-goers heading towards Għadira to stop for doughnuts at the Belleview.The smell of freshly baked bread would serve as a pretext for a quick hilltop breakfast of hot jam-filled doughnuts before hitting the beach.

The iconic Belleview bakery and wedding hall will be transformed into a supermarket and overlying apartments if the planning authority gives the green light. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Today, it is only a faded shop sign that reminds beach-goers of the doughnuts that stopped being produced when the place closed down a few years ago.

But in the near future, even the shop sign will go.

Mr Mintoff, who is co-owner of a supermarket chain that includes Shoppers in Mellieħa, has filed a planning application to demolish the existing structure and build a supermarket on three floors, as well as 18 apartments and five penthouses. The development will also include underground parking facilities and bulk storage for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The application, filed last year, was validated by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority in July and passed on to a case officer for assessment.

People who want to make submissions on the proposed development have until Friday to register their objections and observations.

According to the Mepa website the target date for permit approval is next January.

When contacted yesterday, Mr Mintoff said the model on which the Mellieħa supermarket will be built was similar to the GS Superstore in Naxxar that also included overlying apartments and penthouses.

A major difference, however, is the fact that the Mellieħa site is bounded on four sides by roads with no touching neighbouring properties.

Mr Mintoff said Shoppers supermarket, which is some metres away from the Belleview site, will close down once the new supermarket becomes operational.

Addressing concerns that reached this newspaper from residents about the bulk gas storage tank, Mr Mintoff said it was a legal requisite.

“It will be situated outside on the premises and built according to strict safety regulations. The gas will supply the supermarket and is much safer than having a myriad of gas cylinders stored in shafts,” Mr Mintoff said.

If Mepa gives the go-ahead, the smell of doughnuts may very well return to the site, only this time they will be behind the counter buried deep inside a massive supermarket.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com