Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544268
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 8 APRIL 2026 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Plans filed with the applica- tion show a single tower rising to around 34 floors. The origi- nal approved scheme consisted of three towers of 13, 27 and 34 storeys. While the overall height appears broadly comparable to the tallest approved structure, the new proposal consolidates the massing into a more cen- tralised and bulkier tower and introduces hotel use in addition to the previously approved resi- dential, office and retail compo- nents. The Environment and Re- sources Authority (ERA) has flagged the revised proposal for further environmental assess- ment. In its consultation response, ERA noted that the approved development had been subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment carried out in 2007 and updated in 2008. The au- thority observed that the new application proposes consol- idating the development into a larger centralised tower and introducing an additional land use, while also affecting the overall concentration of mass- ing on site. ERA requested a statement from the project's Environmen- tal Impact Assessment coordi- nator to determine whether the proposed changes could affect the findings of the earlier stud- ies. It also asked for a detailed comparison of gross floor areas between the approved and pro- posed developments, broken down by land use and support- ed by drawings. The authori- ty said the application should await the outcome of this as- sessment to determine whether updated environmental studies are required. In its initial reaction the Super- intendence of Cultural Heritage warned that the revised devel- opment could affect culturally significant and strategic views, particularly towards Valletta. It requested photomontages comparing approved and pro- posed schemes from key view- points, including the University of Malta quadrangle and several Grand Harbour locations, to as- sess visual impact before issuing further comments. Original permit issued in breach of local plan policy The site is also sensitive in planning policy terms because it falls within an area where the local plan includes provisions intended to safeguard views from the University of Malta to- wards Valletta and Marsamxett Harbour. These policies identi- fy strategic view corridors and state that development likely to have a detrimental effect on such views should be refused. Policy NHSE 08 clearly states the PA should "refuse develop- ment permission for any pro- posed development that is like- ly to have a detrimental effect on strategic view." And NHSE 07 lists four so-called "Strate- gic View Corridors" which are clearly identified in Map SE2 as "skylines that should not be significantly disrupted by new development, especially high buildings". The policy states that where "deemed necessary by the PA, applicants shall be required to provide photomontages in or- der to prove that the new de- velopment will not significantly disrupt the identified building planes and skylines". The impact of the Metropolis development on the view from the university to Valletta was key to the approval of Miche- al Stivala's tower along Testa- ferrata Street. Photomontages published in 2022 showed the new 17-floor tower 'hidden' by the yet-to-be-built Metropolis Tower when viewed from the University of Malta. In its assessment of Stivala's application, the Superintend- ence for Cultural noted "that the tower will be screened from viewpoints captured from the University Quadrangle by the approved adjacent develop- ment, the Metropolis tower which is considerably higher than what is being proposed in this application". Despite the inactivity on the site, the Metropolis project has a long planning history stretch- ing over two decades with the project initially hailed by the Gonzi administration as a game changer for the area. The development was origi- nally approved for a mixed-use complex including residential units, offices, retail outlets and underground parking. Excava- tion works were carried out but construction stalled, leaving a large pit on the prominent site for years. The 2009 permit for 191 res- idential units, with offices and retail, and a supermarket was renewed in November 2013; a year later, the PA granted it more parking spaces, and increased office space from 4,600sq.m to 7,815sq.m, with apartments going down to 110. A helipad and communal out- door swimming pool were add- ed to two towers. Days before the 2015 local elections, prime minister Jo- seph Muscat officially laid the foundation stone for the high- rise – years after excavation had taken place – but since then the project has lain dormant. The permit then expired in September 2020, but new plan- ning rules allowed the exten- sion of permits throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the Planning Author- ity renewed the permit for a further five years, allowing the development to remain valid despite prolonged inactivity. The latest application now seeks to significantly reconfigure that approved project by replacing the three-tower layout with a single high-rise building that in- troduces hotel accommodation while retaining a similar overall height. The proposal is current- ly at the initial screening stage pending further assessment. Plans filed with the application show a single tower rising to around 34 floors Photomontage showing how Metropolis development as approved in 2009 will impact on protected view from University to Valletta Aerial view showing the Gzira site (in red) where a planning permit was issued in 2009