The Planning Authority on Thursday gave the nod to the development of a massive arts and culture hub in Marsa.

The complex will be made up of 30 interactive workshops, covering a total area of just under 6,250 square metres, 22 carnival float workshops covering almost 5,000 square metres, and eight carnival costume workshops covering an area of almost 1,400 square metres.

There will also be dance rehearsal studios, a museum of local performing arts, an audiovisual centre and 18 rock band studios. The indoor theatre will seat 380 people while the outdoor theatre will have 914 seats. A 5D cinema will have 616 seats while the cafeteria and souvenir shop will cover an area of almost 1,000 square metres.

The proposal was originally presented in 2016 as a Malta Carnival village, but this was later modified to include a wider participation from people in the arts world. As a result, the footprint has nearly trebled from 26,970 square metres to 77,200 square metres.

The site is in the Albertown industrial estate, between Triq il-Biċċerija and Triq Troubridge.

The PA board on Thursday unanimously voted in favour of the project, for which the authorities applied for EU funds.

The village is set to create an additional 1,000 daily car trips which will increase traffic to an already busy area.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has recommended the appointment of an archaeological monitor during works.

The Environment and Resources Authority did not object to the project, concluding in its environmental impact screening process that the environmental impacts of the proposed development are unlikely to be significant.