An application for a garage complex adjacent to the historic Turkish Cemetery in Marsa was refused by the Planning Commission.

The project's architect Stephen Farrugia argued that after being told to scale down the plans and introduce a buffer zone to protect the cemetery, he did not receive any other guidance in terms of how to make the project acceptable for the authority. He said the Planning Directorate failed in its process as the applicant had not received enough reactions to what they presented.

He argued that his client bought the land as the site is zoned for industrial use.

The PA's case officer had recommended that the project be approved. But the Commission decided against this.

Marsa Mayor Josef Azzopardi said that the council objected to the development and argued that this is a historic and scheduled monument and don't want to risk it being damaged.

The Turkish government had appealed to the Maltese authorities not to allow the development to take place. Speaking to The Malta Independent earlier this month, Turkish ambassador Kerem Ahmet Kiratli had said that the proposed development would be incompatible with good urban design and will have a detrimental impact on the 19th century architectural gem designed by Emanuele Luigi Galizia.

The Planning Commission found that the development's massing was too substantial and the industrial use too severe for the site context.