Żabbar local council, residents oppose five-storey elderly home in one of Labour’s strongholds

Żabbar’s Labour-led local council, spearheaded by Mayor Jorge Grech, reiterated its strong opposition to an approved five-storey home for the elderly in the town’s iconic square, a push that has received rare public backing from high-profile figures within government.

During a press conference attended by around 50 residents and activists, including Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, the mayor explained that the local council was aware of the need for an elderly home in Żabbar.

Three other Labour Party figures publicly opposed the project’s development on social media – Labour MEP and deputy party leader Alex Agius Saliba and Labour MPs Edward Zammit Lewis and Carmelo Abela.

The council pointed out that it has already been converting a separate building, an old Church institute in the same square, into an elderly home.

Grech added that the council’s initiative would house more than double the number of individuals than the approved project that is set to be developed less than 50 metres away.

“Żabbar needs an elderly home, that is true. We have a lot of elderly people in our locality, and we know how essential elderly care is. However, it is essential we think about how this is done,” Grech stated while explaining how the council’s proposal would preserve the square’s features rather than overshadow them.

The approved development application (PA/1617/24) by Danzah Group, owned by Daniel Zahra, involves the demolition of an existing two-storey dwelling and the construction of the retirement home facility.

“This is not just a proposal that is going to change the character of the locality… the building’s height will dominate every other building that surrounds us. It will be a floor and a half higher than the nearest building,” Grech emphasised, pushing back against the developers’ claims that the proposed project’s building height conforms with its surroundings.

The mayor further noted that, although the Planning Authority (PA) had previously imposed conditional guarantees including the preservation of the current building’s facade, those requirements were waived by the same Authority.

“This is one of many breaches committed by this development…another example is that, although the local council has been calling for the pedestrianisation of the square, this will instead have the opposite effect, and it will have a negative impact on the vistas that can be enjoyed by everyone,” Grech added.

In a brief comment given to The Shift, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, who is from Żabbar and is elected on the same district, described how he joined the protest after hearing the local council’s appeal, adding that he personally believed that there is no need for this private development when the local council itself had already started this process.

The development has elicited significant opposition in one of the government’s most important electoral strongholds.

Overall, the project is expected to cause further congestion in a busy street, with the developer paying €47,000 into the PA’s development fund to make up for the shortfall of parking spaces that will result from the project.

The area is also expected to face increased traffic due to the lack of adequate space for service vehicles which the elderly home will need to use on a regular basis.