The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has approved alterations to landscaping and apartments as well as an extension to the underground car park at Fort Chambray.

The authority followed the advice of its Planning Directorate and sanctioned the development subject to a number of conditions which relate to landscaping, monitoring and a planning contribution.

A spokesman for the directorate said that the developer was now obliged to complete the eastern portion of the site as an initial phase, as was agreed in the deed with the government.

In view of the fact that the residential units within the zone have already been launched on the market, the application included various internal and external changes to these completed units.

The Environment Protection Department advised the directorate that the majority of the trees proposed for landscaping, and which had already been approved in a previous application, were not acceptable because they were outside the development zone.

Permission was also sought to extend the underground east car park, as the plans had been amended to accommodate the retention of a rock cut feature, which resulted in the loss of 92 parking spaces. This application has been granted and allows the car park to be extended to accomodate an additional 60 cars.