Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1332685
JAMES DEBONO THE Santa Venera local council has joined Msida in objecting to a proposed 11-storey devel- opment on the last patches of greenery in Valley Road, warn- ing that the development will increase flooding problems. The 2,780sq.m development by George Portelli's Right Properties is located on both sides of a public staircase con- necting Valley Road to the residential Triq il-Parilja. The area lies in the border between three highly urbanised locali- ties, namely Msida, Santa Ven- era and Birkirkara. The application proposes the demolition of existing old and dilapidated structures, and the excavation of the site, which is presently full of trees, flowers and shrubs, constituting a ver- itable island of greenery in the densely developed area. The latest application propos- es retail outlets and offices at ground floor level and overlying offices fronting Valley Road. The development also includes residential units fronting Triq il-Parilja and Triq Guzè Flores, served by three levels of under- ground parking accessible from Triq Flores. More than 200 residents have objected to the proposed devel- opment. In a report penned by Dplan architects, the Santa Venera council noted that the site in question acts as a water catch- ment area in which a signifi- cant amount of run-off rainwa- ter is collected and absorbed by the vegetation present within the site. The council warned that the proposed develop- ment "will undoubtedly result in considerable flooding prob- lems to the surroundings" and that a rainwater outlet within the public staircase will be en- veloped by the development. The council noted that the site contains a variety of flo- ra, fauna and mature trees, which act as a natural habitat for birds, as well as a colony of bats, and improves air quality within an area dominated by high traffic volumes and conse- quent air pollution. The development is feared will shift the extent of com- mercial development beyond that already earmarked within the Santa Venera Local Policy Map, since the current plot acts as a transition zone between commercial and residential uses. "This proposal will inev- itably shift commercial activity further into the currently res- idential zones of Triq Guze' Flores and Triq il-Parrija," the council said. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has also ex- pressed its concern on the de- velopment, describing the site as "the last surviving tract of undeveloped land" in an ar- ea which contains remnants of "traditional uses and agri- cultural activity along Valley Road". It signalled the presence of a number of vernacular struc- tures, which may survive within the site. "The current application proposes a very intense development that will eradicate all traces of the tradi- tional landscape and demolish any surviving vernacular struc- tures," the SCH warned. The Msida council had warned that the development will degrade the site, resulting in the removal of all the exist- ing greenery "without a single attempt to include it in the proposed project" except for an "insignificant front garden" on one side of the development which the council described as "highly insulting". 16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 JANUARY 2021 NEWS THE RIGHT ENERGY SAVINGS CHOICE BOV Personal Energy Loan Talk to us | 2131 2020 | bov.com Start saving and be part of a sustainable future with new double glazing apertures. EERE Malta is co-financed by the Republic of Malta, the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund. All loans are subject to normal bank lending criteria and final approval from the Bank. The term of the loan must not go beyond re rement age. Issued by Bank of Valle a p.l.c., 58, Triq San Żakkarija, Il-Belt Valle a VLT 1130. Bank of Valle a p.l.c. is a public limited company regulated by the MFSA and is licensed to carry out the business of banking in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the Laws of Malta). | COM 2411 Sta Venera council joins chorus against Valley Road 11-storey block