Development works for a new Lidl supermarket in Żebbuġ have finally commenced, an announcement from Central Business Centres (CBC) plc on Tuesday (today) stated.
The start of the project comes over six years after CBC, the owners of the site, entered into a deal with Lidl Malta for the development of a supermarket, including ancillary facilities such as warehouse facilities, utility spaces, parking spaces, and a loading/unloading ramp and bay on the site.
While the company had initially sought planning approval to replace the SMW Cortis timber factory with a new supermarket located in Mdina Road and Attard Road in 2018, yet due to a wide array of objections from the local council, residents, and NGOs, the Planning Authority asked the developers to reduce the take-up of land outside the development zone (ODZ).
The revised project was then granted full approval in 2021, yet it was only two years later, that Government passed an access road cutting across the property, enabling the project to start. CBC confirmed in 2023 that the project would be commencing in the following months.
After these repeated delays, CBC stated last December that it had executed a Deed of Emphyteusis with Lidl Immobiliare Malta Ltd, the supermarket chain’s Malta-based company. As a result, the divided portion of land in Żebbug was granted to Lidl.
In its latest statement, CBC confirmed that development works on the land have started, and that it shall be providing further updates to the public and stakeholders “as may be necessary.”
Once this new store opens, it will be the retail chain’s 11th supermarket in the Maltese Islands.
Malta’s rising number of supermarkets has made headlines over recent years, particularly following the introduction of Italian budget chain Eurospin last month, with it poised to be a direct competitor to Lidl.
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