Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1547431
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 NOVEMBER 2026 NEWS Stormwater directorate objects to TM's Bormla car park over historic reservoir TRANSPORT Malta's plan to re- place a historic reservoir outside St Helen's Gate in Bormla with a new reservoir and car park has hit a snag. And the objection comes from the government body re- sponsible for managing storm- water and flood prevention. In a formal objection submit- ted to the Planning Authority, the Coastal and Stormwater Directorate warned the project would compromise an existing rainwater-harvesting facility and destroy significant remains of an industrial reservoir dating back to the mid-19th century. TM's application (PA/06799/26) concerns Tank 2, one of two res- ervoirs beside St Helen's Gate. The transport authority is pro- posing to demolish its existing concrete-roofed structure and rebuild the water tank at a low- er level. This would create space above for two floors of parking, accommodating 104 cars. The project includes restoring the boundary walls and provid- ing new vehicular and pedestrian access. A roof garden is also en- visaged, although its design is not part of the current application. Photographs submitted with the application document deteri- oration of the existing structure, including black crusting, perfora- tions, biological growth, exposed and rusting metal inserts, missing stonework and defective mason- ry. Its restoration proposals in- clude cleaning, applying hydrau- lic lime mixes and replacing dam- aged masonry blocks. However, the stormwater di- rectorate argued that the project goes beyond repairing the struc- ture and would entail demolish- ing its surviving historic masonry walls. It disputed the application's description of the existing struc- ture as a post-Second World War reservoir, explaining that the original facility was built in the mid-19th century to supply water to the British Naval Dockyard. It was then transferred to the gov- ernment and reused for potable water storage. The original reservoir consisted of masonry walls, columns and arches and stood 10 metres high. Its arched roof was badly dam- aged during the Second World War and subsequently replaced with reinforced-concrete col- umns and roofing. The original thick masonry perimeter walls, however, remain in place. The directorate argued that de- molishing these surviving walls would destroy an important ex- ample of industrial heritage, run- ning counter to the Strategic Plan for Environment and Develop- ment's objective of safeguarding cultural heritage. The objection also raised con- cerns about the loss of an im- portant water resource. Tanks 1 and 2 collectively collect approx- imately 17,000 cubic metres of water from road-surface runoff, which is used to irrigate land- scaped areas at Dock 1 and Cou- vre Porte in Birgu. The proposed works would reduce this storage capacity, forcing the government to purchase additional water for irrigation. The directorate also questioned the suitability of the site for un- derground parking, warning that St Helen's Gate lies at the lowest topographical point of a large catchment extending from Tarx- ien to Dock 1. The parking level below street level would there- fore be particularly vulnerable to flooding, it warned. It said the plans also fail to provide essential infrastructure for operating the reconstruct- ed reservoir, including culverts to channel incoming rainwater, sumps, overflow systems and a pump room. Access for clean- ing and maintenance would be severely restricted, while ven- tilation shafts for maintenance workers are missing. Excavating approximately three metres below the existing reser- voir base could also damage the historic fortifications, neighbour- ing Tank 1, the road and adjacent houses, the directorate warned. The Coastal and Stormwater Directorate forms part of the Public Works Department and is responsible for managing storm- water infrastructure and flood prevention. Its objection, signed by director perit Mario Ellul, revealed that it is developing its own cleaning, restoration and rehabilitation plan for the Bormla reservoir and the original intact reservoir across the road. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt TM's application concerns Tank 2, one of two reservoirs beside St Helen's Gate The stormwater directorate argued that the project goes beyond repairing the structure and would entail demolishing its surviving historic masonry walls