Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1072992
19 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 JANUARY 2019 Mikiel Galea Corinthia: no intention for land reclamation REFERENCE is made to the report 'Corinthia will replace hotels with 12 tower blocks'. The visuals presented on your front page, which were also shown on Xtra, are not ours, but prepared by your- selves. They are fictitious and mislead- ing. They certainly do not represent our plans, or our track record in de- veloping landmark, balanced projects in Malta and overseas. They cannot therefore serve as a reference for an informed debate. When these visuals were first aired on a local television programme earlier this week, we ini- tially felt there was no need to issue a right of reply as we were convinced the public at large will appreciate that these images are not real, and certainly do not reflect what Corinthia will want to achieve in our luxury development in St George's Bay. Now that you are repeating these, we believe it is impor- tant that your readers are informed that these visuals are not ours, and do not represent our plans. The draft agreement with govern- ment covers solely contractual terms for the restatement of our existing ownership rights to the land in St George's Bay, nothing more. The draft limits us to potentially developing a maximum of 100,000sq.m of com- mercial and residential areas, besides an obligation to develop two new luxury hotels. This limitation should be read in relation to the approximately 250,000sq.m of floor areas we are cur- rently allowed to develop under cur- rent planning rules. The contract therefore, is about terms and conditions and not about architecture plans, of which there are none in our proposed agreement with government, as these will be developed over the years to come in a series of phases and subject always to planning rules and consent. What we have included in our pro- posed agreement is a draft layout mas- terplan indicating quite clearly that the vast majority of our land will remain open and landscaped, indeed circa 75% of the land will remain unbuilt. In itself, this clearly demonstrates our inten- tions to maintain a balanced, holistic environment to our proposed luxury hotels and serviced residences. Moreover, the plans ultimately show that the significant portion of the pen- insula will be allocated to hotel use including extensive gardens, leisure outdoor amenities and public land- scaping. Corinthia wants to achieve a very unique upscale six-star develop- ment and hence this demands disci- pline from our side. This has been our track record over 60 years in business, and most certainly will guide us in our Malta home base. In parallel, and subject to the draft agreement being formally approved by the competent authorities, actual ar- chitectural plans have been prepared for our proposed phase one, and these will be discussed with the relevant regulatory and planning authorities in due course. Our aim here, in this first phase, is to entirely redevelop the Corinthia Hotel into Malta's foremost luxury property together with extensive landscaped gardens and amenities. Besides, we are aiming to develop two luxury serviced residential blocks, the highest pro- posed to be 15 floors, on land located between the current Corinthia and the Radisson Hotel. What will happen beyond will depend on many factors, including economic viability, planning considerations, and so much more, but above all, a commitment of ensuring a beautiful development supporting our new Corinthia hotel. Finally, we have no intention of pur- suing land reclamation. We understand the proposed clause in our draft agree- ment is standard to similar agreements across Malta. However, we repeat, your readers may wish to note we do not intend to pursue any land reclamation as part of our project. Simon Naudi, CEO, IHI plc Letters & Clarifications