A decision on an application to build a home for the elderly on outside development zone land in Naxxar has been postponed, with the applicant sent back to the drawing board to reduce the overall height and mass of the proposal.

PA board members ruled that the home for the elderly was too large for the area, noting that a one-storey farm was planned to be replaced by a three-storey structure.

The board has requested the removal of services from the roof and the overall reduction in the height of each storey.

The application was filed back in 2017 by the Labour minority leader of the Naxxar local council, Marlon Brincat.  The site, previously known as Summiena Farm, is located on Sqaq l-Imnieqa, Naxxar, less than 100m away from the Gharghur Semaphore tower.

The site is also located just a road away from another home for the elderly that had been built on ODZ land.

The application proposes the demolition of a one-storey building and the construction of a facility for the care of the elderly and nursing home.

“The proposed facility shall consist of 60 beds spread over 47 rooms, over three levels above ground, together with a number of miscellaneous facilities. The proposal also comprises one basement level and includes a soft landscaping scheme for the site. The site area is circa 2,200 square metres, and the proposed development shall occupy a building footprint of approximately 1,020 square metres,” the case officer summarised.

A number of objections to the proposal had been received, including by the Naxxar local council and various NGOs over the years.