The draft policy regulating an office, retail and light industry hub and high rise buildings in Marsa was discussed by Parliament’s Environment and Development Planning Committee yesterday.

On behalf of the Planning Authority, architect Joe Scalpello explained the proposals that seek to review the Marsa Park development and the Marsa Sports Complex policies with a view to enable development of the site.

A proposal for the creation of a central business district, acknowledged to have “a prominent visual location”, on Aldo Moro Road and December 13 Road, was published last summer for initial public consultation.

Five submissions, all with vested interests in the sites affected by the changes in policy, were submitted.

The feedback submitted called on the Planning Authority to do away with the requirement for a comprehensive development of the area as this was considered to be hindering investment on the site. The Planning Authority is recommending the division of the land into five parcels, each with its own development plan, rather than one plan for the whole site.

Requests were also submitted to permit the use of the Floor Area Ratio policy – permitting developments higher than the 22m maximum overall height already allowed.

The proposals include other departures from the Grand Harbour Local Plan policies. The re-alignment of December 13 Road and Aldo Moro Road, in particular where these intersect at the roundabout, is being discarded in favour of retaining the current road layout with the inclusion of service roads.

A tract of land, designated as a public open space and visual corridor in the previously approved policies, has been removed while the designated landscaping areas have been retained only on the roundabout and the traffic management strips in the roads currently leading to the older section of Marsa.

However, the retention of an ‘open character’ is being envisaged for the western edge of the development.

As with previous policies, some residential development with on-site parking facilities is being considered. The possibility of commuting the parking provision was, however, excluded for any non-residential development in this heavily congested area.

Environmental expert Alfred Baldacchino called for the assessment of the traffic generated by the site development and the inclusion of water harvesting measures in the final policies.

The committee agreed the Planning Authority should hold another meeting with the parliamentary committee once the consultation is concluded on July 22, prior to seeking ministerial approval.