Developers Charles and Paul Polidano, through their company Xemxija Estates, are seeking the approval of the Planning Authority for a huge seven-level underground car park in Xemxija.

This development would mark the first phase of a “comprehensive project” that would accompany the new car park, MaltaToday has reported.

The car park, to be based on 7,113 square metres of land, is being proposed to be built on a site between Triq Radet ir-Roti and Triq is-Simar.

The development would include 1,800 parking spaces, paving the way for large-scale development planned by the developers to go on top of the car park. Despite so, no information on the second planned development was yet revealed.

Polidano Group had already expressed interest in the site. Unlike this time around, the proposal included only two levels of underground parking. However, the group had plans for a 12-storey building.

Later, in 2016, plans changed to propose 154 apartments and 73 hotel rooms, expanding the original building plans to 18 levels.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has requested an archaeological evaluation of the site, since it can be found just outside the buffer zone of an Area of Archaeological Importance, including the Roman road and the Xemxija heritage trail.

This development would be less than 150 metres away from the proposed 12-storey development at the former Mistra Village site which, if approved, would include 744 new apartments and an underground car park for 1,617 cars.

Furthermore, another 13-storey development with 282 apartments is also being proposed in Xemxija raising concerns over traffic strain.