Moviment Graffitti alongside residents' groups Għaqda Storja u Kultura Birżebbuġa and Marsaxlokk Heritage on Friday expressed serious concern over proposal PC/00022/23, submitted by developer Paul Attard, which seeks to amend the Local Plan to permit the construction of six apartment and office blocks on the site of the former Enemalta gas storage facility in Qajjenza, Birżebbuġa.

The application is set to be decided by the PA Executive Council on Tuesday, 4 February at 3pm.

The majority of the site in question is publicly owned by Enemalta, while a portion is privately held.

The organisations strongly oppose the construction of three, seven-storey, blocks on public land owned by Enemalta, irrespective of whether they are developed by a private entity or a public one, the statement said. Qajjenza is already the most congested area in Birżebbuġa, characterised by high population density and a severe lack of public spaces essential for residents' health and well-being. The public land within the former Enemalta gas plant presents an opportunity for a community-based project that would benefit everyone, the NGO and residents said, adding that in contrast, the development of three large buildings would only further degrade the quality of life and environmental conditions in the surrounding area.

While the organisations do not object to development on the privately owned portion of the site, the proposed three, six-storey, blocks facing ODZ are excessive and out of scale with their surroundings, they said. The Local Plan designates the adjacent development zone for a maximum of three storeys. There is no legitimate justification for allowing these structures to rise to twice the height of neighbouring buildings, creating an imposing mass along the ODZ boundary, the statement said.

Over two-thirds of the land covered by PC/00022/23 is owned by either the government company Enemalta or the Lands Authority, they said. "Therefore, the developer required government approval before submitting this zoning application. We reiterate that the government has a duty to ensure that any proposed development respects both residents and the environment - something this proposal, in its current form, clearly fails to do."

The NGO and residents urged the Planning Authority to reject this Planning Control application and call on the Government to ensure that any future proposal serves the common good.