An application for the construction of a sport village complex which included various commercial and hotel facilities has been withdrawn after the planning board made it clear that it was going to reject the application. The latest plans foresaw the development of a four-storey sports hotel on a 1,800sq.m footprint and a retail centre on 3,250sq.m of land. The application also proposed a rehab clinic on 1,500sq.m of land and a 3,500sq.m health club. It also foresaw the development various sports facilities including a full-size rugby pitch, a half-size scrum training pitch, two full-size football pitches, a sprint track, six tennis courts, 12 padel tennis courts, and an indoor sports complex. The development proposed by Michael Spiteri on behalf of Flower Power Ltd. had been slated for refusal by the case officer in January, but the decision was postponed earlier this year after the developers submitted new plans. The site earmarked for the sports village consists site is a 207,000sq.m site located in the north-eastern boarder of Ta’ Qali accessible from Triq Durumblat in Attard. In today’s meeting architect Edwin Mintoff asked the board to postpone its decision by a few months to enable the developer to submit the required traffic and environmental studies and obtain the clearance from the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and Transport Malta. But Executive Chairman Johann Buttigieg made it clear that this was not possible arguing that the development had to be assessed within the established timeframe. E-NGO representative Romano Cassar also insisted that the development should be turned as it amounted to the construction of a hotel in the ODZ and because of the take-up of agricultural land. Architect Edwin Mintoff rebutted arguing that development conformed to the designation of the site in the Ta’Qali Action Plan. He also insisted on the extension arguing that the application has been pending for the past 21 years and that the postponement would ensure that the board can assess the application with all the information required. The site is governed by policy NWTQ 31 of the Ta’ Qali Action Plan, which permits a change of use from agriculture and horticulture to recreation and sport on the Flower Power site. However, this is conditional on a holistic planning approach and a height limit of seven metres. The plan also designates part of the Flower Power site as a “building zone” for “ancillary sports” facilities, provided they do not exceed 15% of the area. The original development was slated for refusal because some proposed uses, such as the hotel and retail component, exceeded 15% of the total gross floor area allowed within the building zone. But a Project Description Statement (PDS) submitted by the developers’ consultants argued that this limit is now being respected in the latest hotel and retail plans. But the case officer still recommended refusal citing “the lack of sufficient information to enable a complete assessment in terms of transportation requirements and environmental implications”.