Residents surrounding a maisonette near Triq Santa Katerina, Attard, have expressed concern about a planning proposal that would see a childcare centre developed, filing objections.
The site is an existing maisonette located within the limits to development of Attard. The Central Malta Local Plan designates the area as residential with a height limitation of three floors plus semi-basement.
This full development application seeks permission to construct a child care centre for a maximum of 25-35 children under the age of three. The proposed development covers an approximate floor area of 180 square metres.
Yesterday, the case was heard by one of the Planning Authority boards, which, according to persons involved in the case, sent the application to Planning Authority lawyers to review following objections which were heard. Such objections, sources said, included the noise such a change of use would create, concerns about traffic given the location of the building, and safety concerns.
Written objections had also been filed with the Planning Authority. The administrator of a block near the maisonette, on behalf of all residents living within that block, wrote a letter stating that all the contracts within the residential complex including those for maisonettes, have a clause which states that units in block P3 (the maisonette) must be used for residential purposes only. Another objector said that no applications for commercial premises are allowed on the site.
The case officer had recommended that the project be approved.
The case officer’s report read: “The proposed child care facility is considered a medium impact in terms of the Supplementary Planning Policy Guidance for Child Day Care Facility. This scale is allowed in a residential area, subject to a drop on/off endorsed by Transport Malta. This has been provided. The proposal also conforms with sanitary laws and regulations.” It also states that a report lays out a number of measures which need to be adopted to ensure fire safety, light and ventilation to the premises. “Furthermore, the noise report confirmed that the noise level at the nearest third-party receptor is expected to be 45 dBA or less.”
It also reads that “Policy CG 07 permits Class 2C educational facilities in residential areas subject that the access and the character of the area are taken into account and are deemed adequate by Planning Authority to allow the safe and neigh-bourcompatible use of such facilities. Therefore, the proposed change of use from residential dwelling to child care centre is acceptable in principle.”