Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/394213
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2014 News 4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Planning Ombudsman David Pace has criti- cised the government for including Mriehel by stealth as a high-rise zone in the approved policy regulating tall buildings. "The inclusion of Mriehel in the ap- proved zones where the policy is appli- cable, should have been put to public consultation prior to the final approv- al by the MEPA board," the planning ombudsman told MaltaToday in June. No reference to Mriehel was made in the draft policy document which was issued for public consultation last November. The approved policy was put on the MEPA website in June and was not even announced by a media release. A news conference was held only after MaltaToday revealed the provisions of the new policy. This meant that the public, NGOs and stakeholders had no chance to comment on the choice of Mriehel as a site for high-rise office buildings. It was the government which rec- ommended the addition of Mriehel as a site where buildings which are more than 10 storeys high can be built, along with Qawra, Marsa, Tigné, Paceville and Gzira. The approved document states that "particular attention was focused on the strategic location of the employ- ment hub of Mriehel". The area is presently designated for industrial uses, but in subsequent re- visions to the Local Plan a wider mix has been encouraged and a "generic proviso" in favour of buildings higher than 14m was also introduced for large sites. The document designates Mriehel as an "appropriate location for tall build- ings for predominantly office uses". The inclusion of Mriehel by stealth has been criticised by environmental- ists. For Din l-Art Helwa the inclusion of a new area without first presenting it to the public for comments is unac- ceptable and undermines the whole public consultation process, which MEPA has successfully developed over the past decade. The two leading heritage NGOs, Din l-Art Helwa and Flimkien Ghal Amb- jent Ahjar have called on the govern- ment to remove any reference to Mrie- hel from the approved policy. The two organisations had called for a separate public consultation process to be carried out on whether or not Mriehel should become a location for high-rise buildings. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Ombudsman had questioned Mriehel decision Public, NGOs and stakeholders had no chance to comment on the choice of Mriehel as a site for high-rise office buildings Joe Gasan George Fenech