Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1004621
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 JULY 2018 NEWS BI PRODUZZJONI TA' SEAN BUHAGIAR MUSICAL ORIĠINALI MINN DAWK LI ĠABULKOM BALZUNET TA TOWERS IMNEBBAĦ MINN STEJJER VERA biljetti minn ilhanina.com jew 23397000 JAMES DEBONO THE case-by-case approval of high-rise developments in Tigné is preventing a proper assessment of these projects' visual and air quality impacts. But despite expressing res- ervations on the Fort Cam- bridge 40-storey tower's vis- ual impact, the Environment and Resources Authority has not objected to the proposed tower hotel in its final report on the project. This follows a similar re- port by ERA on the 37-storey tower proposed at St George's Bay by the db group, in which it expressed concern on the visual impact without object- ing to the project. The 40-storey hotel above the Fort Cambridge officer's mess, a historical building proposed for scheduling, is now next in line to be consid- ered by the Planning Author- ity in the next months. The hearing has yet to be scheduled and the PA's plan- ning directorate still has to prepare its report, which would include a recommen- dation for or against the de- velopment. The case officer will have to consider a recent decision of the review tribu- nal (EPRT) that revoked a permit for the neighbouring 38-storey Townsquare by the Gasan group, mainly because of its massive visual impact on historical skylines. It means the proposed hotel cannot be justified on the ba- sis that the PA has already ap- proved a similar development in the area. The ERA has, however, ex- pressed concern on the way developments in the area are being considered in isolation from each other. It said that in the absence of a clear plan which assesses the develop- ment capacity of the sur- rounding area, "such case-by- case assessment of individual development proposals" lim- its the proper evaluation of the actual cumulative im- pacts, especially with regards to air quality and visual im- pacts. The project's own environ- mental impact assessment has deemed the impact of the proposed hotel on air quality as negligible despite the daily increase of 1,500 cars result- ing from the project. The ERA also noted that the proposal will introduce a high-rise building in the heart of Sliema inside Tigné. Acknowledging that the area is already subject to a num- ber of medium- and high-rise developments, the Fort Cam- bridge hotel would still result in a significant expansion in terms of height since, "The project will significantly al- ter the skyline of the area, the immediate environs of Fort Cambridge and the wider set- ting of the Valletta fortifica- tions, especially taking into consideration the cumulative impact of other high-rise de- velopments in the area." But the ERA did not object to the proposal "from an envi- ronmental point of view", an indication that visual impact is not being seen as an im- portant environmental con- sideration as development on virgin land, which has, in fact, led the authority to object to a number of developments. 40-storey Tigné tower: no objection from ERA JAMES DEBONO A proposed belvedere that will include benches and viewpoints and even park- ing along the picturesque Wied tal-Gnien Hira valley just past Rabat's Roman Villa, will result in the massive de- struction of flora and fauna in the area, the Environment and Resources Authority has warned. The project is being pro- posed by the transport min- istry. The country's environmen- tal watchdog called on the au- thorities to limit the project to a two-metre-wide walkway to be shared between cyclists and pedestrians and abandon plans for a parking space out- side development zones, and belvedere. More than 1,100 people ob- jected to the project following an appeal by Moviment Graf- fitti. The project is being pro- posed along Triq Tat-Tarbija and Triq Għeriexem just past the Roman Villa, and would see landscaping works in- cluding the construction of a promenade, the installation of infrastructural services, paving works, installation of street furniture and provision of parking spaces on ODZ land. The ERA said the extent of the proposed interventions on the upper valley-side, namely the construction of a com- pletely new and long pedes- trian walkway and belvedere, coupled with the provision of parking spaces beyond the existing road, would result in significant negative impacts. The project would require high embankment walls over- looking the valley and con- struction vehicles would have to manoeuvre over the under- lying ecologically rich land. Apart from that, the pro- ject would take up land that hosts important species such as the fool's watercress, the greater chickweed, the blue speedweel, the grass leaved pepperworth and the creep- ing cinquefoil, which is con- sidered as an important pol- linator. 'Rabat promenade will obliterate nature'