Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1516608
THE Planning Authority has overruled its case officer to approve a massive 11-floor development in Mellieha on the hilly terrain between Triq Tunbrell and Triq id-Denci. The stepped building consists of 114 garages and 66 residential units on a 2,165sq.m site. The top floors of the de- velopment proposed by developer Chris Attard will enjoy commanding views of Ghadira beach. The area is zoned for residential devel- opment over three floors and a semi base- ment level in the local plan approved in 2006. This translates to a height of 17.5m. Although the development is being pro- posed over 11 floors it will take advantage of the topography of the uphill site in a way that the residential block will be terraced. But the case officer had called on the au- thority to refuse the project, noting that the proposed number of levels at Triq it-Tun- nagg and Triq it-Tumbrell ran counter to the provisions of policy P35 of the Devel- opment Control Design Policy. The poli- cy stipulates that no more than five levels above the highest pavement level can be allowed in areas zoned for 17.5m-high de- velopment. The case officer noted the lack of an ad- equate setback on each level in excess of the allowable five levels from it-Tumbrell will result in "excessive bulk and mass" and runs counter to the Strategic Plan for En- vironment and Development which aims to protect and enhance the character and amenity of urban areas. But the Planning Commission noted that the project architect has provided a solution for a comprehensive devel- opment which is well integrated within the site. The commission also dismissed the case officer's call for further setbacks at the upper part of Triq it-Tumbrell as these would create a 'gaping hole' in the streetscape. The Planning Commission concluded that the building is stepped down in a vis- ually acceptable manner and the proposed comprehensive design does not generate blank walls, and is therefore in line with planning policies. 8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 FEBRUARY 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Malta 'born' cartoon character to get sculpture on Ta' Liesse belvedere Planning Authority overrules case officer and approves Mellieha block deemed to create 'excessive bulk' A proposed belvedere on the 'cimbolo' buildings at Ta' Liesse in Valletta is to include a Corten steel cut out sculpture of cult comic book character Corto Maltese. Corto Maltese, an anti-hero who prefers freedom and imag- ination to wealth, was created by the Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt in 1967. The fiction- al character did have a Maltese connection having been suppos- edly born in Valletta in 1887 to a Romani witch from Seville and a sailor from Cornwall. But Corto Maltese's childhood is spent in Gibraltar, and later in Cordo- va where he lived in the Jewish Quarter. The belvedere is set to feature public installations, inspired from the story of Corto Maltese including a steel sculpture of the character. It will also include a water feature in the shape of a ship's bow and mast and V-shaped corten steel sculptures on either end of the building. The project also foresees the repair and reinstatement of a waterproofing system over all the roofs and the installation of a completely 'reversible' raised floor system The project proposed by the Malta Tourism Authority has been approved by the Super- intendence for Cultural Herit- age which has sternly warned against any future commercial use of this public space. "The area is to be retained only as an open space without the ad- dition of structures, furniture, or umbrellas," the SCH said in its final submission on the project. The SCH had originally ex- pressed concern on the design of the project which was scaled back to avoid any negative visual impact. According to architect David Zahra the artistic installations, proposed at either end of the belvedere will not have any neg- ative impact on the short, medi- um and long-distance views, but rather "add interest and create curiosity" and create a "sublim- inal link to the Grand Harbour". The project is set to get the fi- nal approval of the Planning Au- thority on 4 April. Superintendence for Cultural Heritage rules out future commercial exploitation of new Belvedere while welcoming latest plans presented by the MTA