Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1176246
JAMES DEBONO THE secretary general of Mal- ta's construction lobby has ap- pealed a refusal by the Plan- ning Authority of his plans to convert a nine-storey develop- ment entirely into offices. Developer Michael Stivala is appealing the PA's refusal to convert the original permit in- to a nine-storey office complex set over 4,000sq.m. The development, under fire for its deleterious impact on Balluta bay, was originally a mixed residential and office development. But subsequently Stivala ap- plied to turn the whole build- ing into offices despite the designation of the area as a residential one. After approving the original plans, the PA had cold feet and turned down the request to in- crease office space, because the local plan for St Julian's speci- fies that office space included in the area should be limited to 75sq.m. The same case officer who had originally recommended approval of the original permit now described the proposed of- fice space as "excessive", which would cause adverse impacts on the locality due a shortfall of 63 car parking spaces, 14 more than the original development. In their appeal, the owners pointed out that the 75sq.m- limit dictated by the local plan had been "already exceeded" in the permit issued in 2018, when office space was limited to 1,350sq.m. Indeed the PA itself justified its own deviation by referring to another policy permitting "departures from policies" in tourism and entertainment priority areas. Such departures can only be allowed if these are deemed to be "neighbour-com- patible" and do not negatively impact the locality. In their appeal the developers insist the project will not have a negative impact on the locality as the shortfall in traffic is be- ing addressed through a Green Travel Plan already endorsed by the PA's Transport Unit. They also highlight the resto- ration of the façade which has made the development eligible to a "flexible approach" recom- mended in the local plan on the use of listed buildings, as well as other policies encouraging the restoration of buildings with heritage value through commercial development. While the façade of the old townhouse on the St Julian's High Street was retained, an imposing back-end structure right near the Barracuda res- taurant has radically changed the appearance of Balluta Bay, with the building's upper floors jutting out over the sea itself. While this was accepted in the original application, in the latest application the PA ob- jected to additional back balco- nies at the lower end as these impinged on the visual integ- rity of the area. In reply the developer referred to the ap- proval of the latest plans by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage. The development has been criticised by Alternattiva Demokratika, who accused the Lands Authority and the Planning Authority of failing to do their duty to protect the coast. "After businesses were allowed to take over our pave- ments together with parking spaces which they integrated with their outlets, they are now bent on not just taking over the coast but also on taking the ar- ea over the sea," AD chairper- son Carmel Cacopardo said. Architect Alex Torpiano, the president of Din l-Art Helwa, has also denounced the way the developers sliced the ap- plication into "bite-sized por- tions" to ultimately obtain "a permit for a nine-storey block, right at the water's edge, ef- fectively replacing two Grade 2 scheduled houses within an urban conservation area, and abutting a safeguarded area of natural coastline." In fact the application for the change in use to offices was the third one presented on the same properties. Earlier ap- plications comprised the two townhouses and their amalga- mation into one development. In May 2018, the Environ- ment Resources Authority stopped works on the site after the bay was repeatedly pollut- ed with construction materials. The project is being "designed and styled" by LOFT Designs, a company owned by the Prime Minister's chief-of-staff, Keith Schembri. 8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 OCTOBER 2019 NEWS Position may be co-funded through European Union Funding/Bilateral Funds EU FUND SUPPORT OFFICER Applications are invited for the positions of EU Fund Support Officer in the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality. Applicants must be in possession of a recognised qualification at MQF Level 5 in Accounting, Business Management/Administration, Business Studies, Financial Services, Insurance, Marketing, Economics or Banking or a comparable professional qualification. Applications will be received at the Corporate Services Directorate, Ministry for European Affairs and Equality, 31B, Tal-Pilar, Marsamxett Road, Valletta, VLT 1850 by not later than noon of Friday, 25 th October, 2019. Further details may be obtained from the Government Gazette of 11 th October 2019. Application forms may be downloaded from: https://publicservice.gov.mt/en/people/Pages/PeopleResourcingandCompli ance/FormsandTemplates.aspx PA deviated from policy to allow offices but now gets cold feet as owner requests even more office space and appeals PA's refusal Balluta owner wants more First the PA deviated from the local plan barring office development in a residential area. Now it is getting cold feet and has refused the developer's request to turn the whole building into an office complex