24-hour Eastside works could bring completion forward by 11 weeks

The Development and Planning Commission approved 24hour working for the main marine breakwater at the Eastside reclamation project, in a move officials say is aimed at shortening disruption ahead of future bathing seasons.

The application was top of the agenda for discussion during Thursday’s meeting, which was plagued with technical issues. It was nearly an hour before this item was debated.

Delays to these monthly meetings are not uncommon. In May for example, there was a delay of an hour and a half before the meeting got under way.

The delayed start on Thursday resulted in some of the DPC members having to leave before the meeting concluded due to other commitments.

In July the Minister for Town Planning, Gemma Arias-Vasquez, announced that DPC meetings would revert to being held in person, as was the case prior to the Covid lockdowns. The Chronicle has asked the Government for an update as to when this will happen.

Despite the late start, the meeting flowed swiftly once the technical issues were resolved and the Eastside application was discussed in half an hour.

Approval was granted for round-the-clock operations only for the main breakwater’s marine dumping and related loading and support activities.

All noisier land-based works will remain restricted to standard daytime construction hours.

Presenting the application, Giovanni Baglietto from the Town Planning Department said that under the current arrangement, with working extended only until midnight, marine dumping is projected to finish on August 25, 2027.

Moving to a full 24hour marine operation would bring completion forward to June 10, 2027, an acceleration of around 11 weeks.

This earlier finish would reduce the overlap between heavy marine operations and the main bathing season, particularly for Catalan Bay.

Crushing, processing, stockpiling and general land-based works will continue to be limited to the standard hours of 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 6pm on Saturdays, with no works allowed on Sundays or public holidays unless otherwise approved.

The northern and southern breakwaters will remain under existing hours due to their proximity to residential areas, including Hassan Centenary Terraces and Catalan Bay.

The DPC members were told that there has already been a history of complaints about extended working at the site, including early morning and nighttime noise from vessels, cranes and heavy machinery and concerns over dust and general disturbance.

While the applicant reported that no further noise complaints were received during a trial period of extended hours, the Environmental Agency confirmed it has continued to receive complaints relating to the wider site.

Some outofhours activities investigated by the agency were not strictly part of the marine breakwater works.

Monitoring by the Department of the Environment and other agencies will continue, including at night, with the clear understanding that any breach of conditions or unacceptable impact on residents could lead to operations being curtailed or halted.

The members agreed unanimously to approve 24‑hour working for the main breakwater only, in line with the Town Planner’s recommendation and subject to conditions.

WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT

Preparatory works for an urban wastewater treatment plant have been given the green light, after the DPC unanimously approved an application covering enabling works at the former Brewery Crusher site in Europa Point and at Little Bay car park.

The application follows the outline planning approval granted in May for the treatment plant and associated pumping station, and is intended to get both sites ready ahead of a full planning application expected later this year.

The Brewery Crusher site, will be the location for the main treatment plant and
Little Bay car park for the pumping station.

At Brewery Crusher, works will include breaking out existing concrete slabs, removing limestone blocks and waste materials, excavating to formation level for the proposed buffer tank and reactors, removing excavated material from site and installing a temporary electrical power supply for the construction phase.

At Little Bay, there will be establishment of banksmen stations – safe locations from which construction work can be directed - and erection of hoarding.
There will also be temporary road markings, including relocation of a disabled parking bay, as well as excavation of the wet well for the pumping station, installation of de-watering equipment, temporary removal and setting aside of existing rockfall protection elements, provision of access to an existing manhole and installation of a construction-phase electrical power supply.

The Town Planner’s report noted that the enabling works are in line with the strategic planning objectives for the site and consistent with the previously granted outline approval, without pre-judging the full application still to come.

All members of the DPC approved the application.

OTHER APPLICATIONS

The DPC members refused an application for an extension to a dwelling at 22 South Walks in Europa Point, following a debate in which concerns were raised about excessive massing, impact on the estate’s character, and potential precedent for similar developments was noted.

The proposal was to extend over much of the front and rear patios and add an additional storey to the existing twostorey property.

An objector, speaking at the meeting, said the proposal was “wholly unsympathetic” to the established streetscape due to its location immediately above the protected foreshore at Europa Point, and that all houses in this cluster of Woodford Battery / Europa Walks are two-storey buildings.

The applicant also addressed the members and said that the couple had support from people in the estate and that the extra space was needed for their family of two children.

She stated that their property is “uniquely situated” such that the extension would not impact neighbours’ light or views, and that the proposed roofline would align with adjacent properties. She also stated that multistorey homes already exist across the estate.

Presenting the Town Planner’s report, Deputy Town Planner Christopher Key said that no external comments had been received beyond the objector’s submission.

He said the principal issue for the department was the additional storey, which was seen as significantly increasing the height, scale and massing of the existing dwelling. As a result of various concerns it was recommended that members refuse the application.

A vote was held and eight members voted in favour of refusal and one in favour of the application.

'HERITAGE SENSITIVE'

A pre-war former military building at 41 Europa Road gained unanimous approval to be developed as a residential development as it is converted into 10 apartments while retaining and extending the existing ground-floor gym.

The three-storey structure, believed to date from around 1908, was originally built as barracks for the Royal Army Medical Corps serving the adjacent Royal Naval Hospital.

Although not formally listed, the building was repeatedly described as “heritage sensitive” due to its age, historical associations and distinctive architectural character.

The property is currently in a poor state of repair with structural and façade deterioration highlighted in a structural report submitted by the applicant.

No public objections were received during the public participation period and there were no objections from Government departments.

Approval was granted subject to a variety of conditions, some of which included no increase in height or mass at full application, protecting biodiversity and landscaping including bird and bat measures, and heritage conservation and archaeology commitments.

EXTENSIONS

Three applications for 5, 7 and 9 Town Range had approval granted allowing existing permits to be extended. The developer was given what was described as a final oneyear extension of its existing planning permissions.

However, members agreed to renew three minor planning permissions for a further 12 months, despite a long‑standing policy of not granting more than three renewals.

The decision was taken against a backdrop of mounting concern over the unfinished state of the site, and it being “urban blight” and its impact on the surrounding area.

The developer was asked what reassurance he could provide that if renewal was granted it would actually lead to progress within the next 12 months.

He told the members that he was he was “quite certain that this whole development will take place within a short time”.

Also gaining unanimous approval was the full planning application and an associated demolition application for the redevelopment of an existing two-storey building on 16/20 Flat Bastion Road, following an earlier outline permission granted in February 2025.

The full application builds on the outline permission for a one-storey extension and conversion of the existing building into three family homes, with retention of the principal façade and creation of a landscaped rooftop car park accessed by a bridge over the public footpath.

While no public representations were received in relation to the full application, an objection was lodged against the demolition application by adjacent landowners, who addressed the Commission. Among the concerns was the shared boundary wall, which he described as “his wall and my wall”, and the risk of collapse or damage during demolition. He was also concerned about the safety of his family, with a patio immediately adjoining the works and children using the outdoor space.

The applicant tried to quash his fears and said that the south-facing wall which he fears will be demolished “is not going to be touched”. He said the demolition is partial, limited to internal elements and the east-facing wall, and that their legal advice was that the disputed wall forms part of their façade, though questions of ownership would ultimately be a legal matter.

The applications were approved by all seven members who had remained in the meeting at that time.

The next meeting is scheduled for October 22, 2026.