A shopping mall and a fast-food drive-thru are proposed to be annexed with Italian supermarket giant Eurospin.

The supermarket, along with the proposed establishments, are expected to be located in Aldo Moro Road in Marsa, one of Malta’s busiest areas and in what was once known as the Salv Bezzina shipyard. This was explained on a Planning Authority Application published on Wednesday by Architect Edwin Mintoff. 

MaltaToday has reported that whilst the supermarket will occupy 1,400 square meters, the shopping mall is proposed to be 220 square meters in size. On the other hand, the fast-food drive thru is proposed to be 485 square meters in size. The owner of the establishment explained that it will not fully develop the area, leaving 45 per cent unoccupied and staying 18 meters below the established maximum limit of 29 meters.  

Last year, the Italian company announced its plans to open five new stores in Malta, with the store located in the Bezzina industrial yacht yard being the first to open its doors to Maltese customers. The company has intentions to operate 12 more stores across Malta, expanding its presence alongside other supermarkets and small grocery stores, such as Maypole, The Convenience Shop, Lidl, Greens and Spar among others. 

It should be noted that the Bezzina industrial yacht yard was initially zoned in the local plan for the development of showrooms and offices, without no mention to the proposed establishments. However, this did not affect the Planning Authority’s decision, since the case officer assessing the proposal believes that, since the area is outlined for commercial use, a supermarket is acceptable.

The permit was evaluated utilising the PA's Interim Retail Planning Guidance, which was issued in 2004 and requires a retail impact evaluation for these applications. The case officer stated that this assessment was considered futile considering the site location and the area zoning.