Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1519725
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 APRIL 2024 NEWS Employment Opportunities Precincts Oicer Ref No. Government Gazzette 19/04/2024 External Call For more info: www.recruitment.gov.mt in the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 What was originally conceived as a Dubai-style plug-and-play internet city will now house 1,000 residential units, a hospital, the relocated ITS campus as well as the American University of Mal- ta, and a new private school. These changes are being cer- tified in a new masterplan that plots anything between 953 and 1,060 residential units and changes the ratio of the three components of the project. The original 2009 masterplan was to have 51% of total floor ar- ea for office space, while limiting residential areas to 20% and com- mercial development to 29% The latest masterplan limits of- fice space to just 9%, reducing this gross floor area by 125,000sq.m, while residences grow to 40%, and commercial space to 51%, revers- ing the original plans for the area. The data emerges from the re- port compiled by ADI, a consul- tancy firm, which was submitted to the Environment and Resourc- es Authority. The authority had enquired whether any project changes would affect the findings and conclusions of the environ- mental impact assessment for the original 2009 masterplan. The number of apartments quoted in the statement includes the already approved 365 apart- ments in the adjacent Shoreline building that was built on land hived off from Smart City. It also includes the 69 villas near Fort St Rocco set to be approved by Plan- ning Authority board on 23 May. No additional visual impact ex- pected Overall, the project represents an 18% increase in total floor- space to 368,000sq.m, but no in- crease in negative visual impact or traffic is expected. With the re- moval of residential development from 38,000sq.m of agricultural land around St Peter's Battery as foreseen in the 2009 plans, this is expected to have a "positive im- pact" on closer views of the pro- ject from the fort. Photomontages also indicate a lesser impact on both short-dis- tance views as well as those from Valletta and Cottonera. Data from ADI predicts daily traffic of 17,000 car trips, down from the 18,247 foreseen in the original masterplan. The only negative environmen- tal impact of the project antici- pated by the EIA coordinators is the increase of 132% in excava- tion waste, which includes exca- vation already undertaken in the past decade. New school and hospital The commercial component of project, set to take 51% of total floor area, will include a school for approximately 650 primary and secondary-level students, apart from the relocated Insti- tute for Tourism Studies (ITS) campus for 2,500 students, and the American University of Mal- ta (AUM) Campus, expected to cater for 4,000 students and 320 staff members. The report however says AUM's population is based on "media re- ports" for both the Bormla and Smart City campuses and that "there is no indication of how many will be accommodated in the Smart City campus". The "worst-case" scenario of 4,000 is assumed to ensure that traffic projections are correct. Both campuses will include dor- mitories, food and beverage and retail outlets, offices, sports fa- cilities, childcare facilities, and a hotel. The masterplan also foresees the development of a 200-bed pri- vate hospital with a floor area of 23,500sq.m. Project already exceeding 2009 limit According to the PA's case of- ficer report recommending the approval of the Fort St Rocco vil- las, the Shoreline apartment com- plex and mall have already uti- lised 41,000sq.m of the residential component. That leaves just 21,730sq.m that can be used at Smart City for res- idential development. With the villa's approval at 24,400sq.m, the residential component will already be in excess of the 2009 master- plan limits which had only envis- aged 334 units over 63,000sq.m. Th new masterplan increases residential areas by 85,000sq.m to reach 148,000sq.m or 40% of the project's total floor area. Satturation in office demand Following the presentation of a planning application for the new masterplan last year, a spokes- person for the company had told MaltaToday that the changes reflect "local and global market considerations", replacing the emphasis on the delivery of office space that was central to the 2009 masterplan, with an increased fo- cus "on education and training facilities". The change reflects "the sig- nificant saturation of local office development" and "the post-pan- demic changes to workplace outlook", as well as an increased demand for space for "less specu- lative educational land uses". "This current application pre- sents a mixed‐use scheme with a broad focus on quality of life, working, living and learning en- vironments addressing a broad demographic providing a robust framework for an adaptable urban environment that can respond to future changes," the spokesperson had said. Smart City: 1,000 apartments proposed in new masterplan 40% of the project once billed as futuristic 'internet city' will be residential, while the rest will be a hospital, schools and hotels. Only 9% will be offices. Photomontage of the proposed development foreseen in masterplan, as seen from the sea (top) and as seen from Fort St Rocco (above)