Plans for a high-rise in Qormi, which drew criticism over its impact on a 17th century windmill nearby, have been dropped by the developers at the eleventh hour.
The application by Meli Bugeja Limited was withdrawn on Thursday morning, hours before a Planning Authority hearing was expected to reject the proposal due to the developers’ failure to prove it was in line with planning policy.
The proposal to demolish a marble factory on Triq il-Mitħna and build a 12-storey office block, with three levels of underground parking, had drawn objections from the Qormi council, which said it would “bury” the adjacent windmill known as Il-Mitħna tal-Erwieħ or Il-Mitħna ta’ Pampalaw.
The council said in an objection to the PA that the mill was one of the last of its kind remaining in the country and that an application had already been submitted for its restoration, including the reconstruction of missing parts.
The council also highlighted the lack of an Environment Impact Assessment or traffic studies for the proposed high-rise.
The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage (SCH) insisted that any development should not impact the windmill’s stability, views and vistas, and called for the proposal to be redesigned to mitigate its impact.
The mill enjoys Grade 1 scheduling status, the highest level of protection available to historic buildings, which safeguards not only the structure itself but also its surroundings.
Read: Plans for Qormi high-rise may be scuppered amid fears for historic windmill
The cultural heritage watchdog also pointed out that Punic tombs had been documented in the area and that the survival of further archaeological remains could not be excluded.
The application had been recommended for refusal, primarily due to developers’ failure to submit information showing that the proposal is compliant with the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) policy, which governs high-rise developments.
Qormi is not one of the areas designated for high-rise or even medium-rise buildings in the FAR policy, but the developers appeared to be banking on other policy provisions allowing medium-rise buildings in other areas to “achieve other planning objectives such as significant employment opportunities”.
The Planning Directorate said there had also been a lack of information needed to assess the proposed development, including planning, sanitary, visual transport, infrastructure and environmental considerations.