Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1093354
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MARCH 2019 JAMES DEBONO A large-scale office and retail development which is set to host 8,000 office workers is be- ing proposed on the site of the Fino showroom and workshops which presently occupy a mas- sive footprint of 20,000sq.m. Preliminary designs submitted in a project development state- ment show the development rising from nine floors fronting Mdina Road, to 18 floors abut- ting a new road proposed in Mriehel. The design shows seven blocks, transitioning in height from nine to 15 floors, set on three "podium floors" located under street level on Mdina Road but rising above the level of the new street in Mriehel, and increasing the height of the highest tower to 18 floors. Three underground levels of carparks are also being proposed under the proposed blocks. The development will in- clude 84,654sq.m of offices and 49,059sq.m of commercial de- velopment. The Fino develop- ment will contain more than double the 51,000sq.m of floor space included in the neigh- bouring Quad Towers owned by the Tumas Group. During operations, it is esti- mated that the number of office workers will be in the region of 8,000, while the commercial fa- cilities are expected to generate around 450 jobs. The project development statement warns that "the sub- stantial number of expatriate employees" which should be expected to be working in the offices and commercial facilities is bound "to contribute to an in- crease in pressure for both new development and the re-devel- opment of existing properties in the Birkirkara, and possibly Balzan residential areas". The project is set to include high-end offices, attracting vari- ous branches of the financial service sector, commerce, infor- mation technology, real estate sectors and a retail establish- ment focusing on white goods. The demolition of the Fino showroom and workshops is expected to generate a stag- gering 330,000 cubic metres of construction waste, more than twice the projected waste pro- duced in excavations for the neighbouring Quad Towers (143,000 cubic metres) and sub- stantially more waste than the 210,000 cubic metres set to be produced by the Shoreline pro- ject at Smart City. The proposed development will have two vehicular access points, one connected to Mdina Road, and the other to Triq San Ġwakkin. The parking area will provide 2,444 parking spaces, based on policy requirements requiring one parking space for 50sq.m of office space. The proposal is expected to increase the volume of traf- fic generated by an average of 6,756 daily private car trips. To mitigate the traffic impact, the developers will present a Green Travel Plan (GTP), which will encourage the use of transport modes other than the private car. "While it is located within a relatively short distance from the Malta International Air- port, it has the potential to at- tract traffic from the northern and central Malta, which would otherwise put pressure on the section of the road network in the southern region of the is- land," the PDS states. Most of the traffic is expected to enter the Mriehel business hub from the Mriehel By-pass since "Mdina Road is already heavily congested", according to the PDS. The development is meant to replace the current operations of the company, in the furni- ture manufacturing and retail sectors, to take advantage of the objective in the Strategic Plan for the Environment and De- velopment which promotes "the location of employment gener- ating land uses in business and enterprise hubs". The impact on the character of the Birkirkara side of the de- velopment is deemed to be "not mitigable", while the principal mitigation regarding the visual impact will be "good quality ar- chitectural design". The PDS refers to the sched- uled Wignacourt Aquaduct in Mdina road opposite the Fino showroom, adding that the presence of this important monument "has the potential to add substantial value to devel- opments of the type under con- sideration." The Environment and Re- sources Authority has already decreed that the project needs a full environment impact assess- ment. According to the ERA the proposed development is likely to have a potential significant impact on landscape and visual amenity in the area, including short-distance views "particu- larly from the residential area in the vicinity". The number of vehicles and traffic during op- eration, are expected to have an impact on air quality and noise, something which requires fur- ther studies according to ERA. The site is located close to two other major approved devel- opments, namely the Trident Park consisting of seven sepa- rate five-storey office blocks, and the Quad Business Towers consisting of four high rise tow- ers consisting of 15, 17, 19 and 14 storeys. NEWS Fino showroom earmarked for 18-storey high-rise Ebba von Fersen Balzan In loving memory of artist Ebba von Fersen Balzan, who passed away aged 50 on the 16, March, 2008. Born in Darmstadt, Germany and who lived in Naxxar, Malta. Her memory lives on in her works and her paintings. Fondly remembered by Saviour Balzan, Antoinette and Ray Balzan, Mariella and Alan Dimech and niece and nephew Matthew and Francesca. EBBA VON FERSEN BALZAN In loving memory of artist Ebba von Fersen Balzan, who passed away aged 50 on 16 March 2008. Born in Darmstadt, Germany, she lived in Naxxar, Malta. Her memory lives on in her works and her paintings. Fondly remembered by Saviour Balzan, Antoinette and Ray Balzan, Mariella and Alan Dimech and niece and nephew Matthew and Francesca. The Fino showroom (top) and the expansive land at Mriehel it occupies (right). The sloping high-rise project will rise to 18 floors (bottom)