Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/476647
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 11 MARCH 2015 6 News Gasan and Tumas towers to The four towers are expected to consume seven million kWh of energy, the average consumed by 1,600 people annually JAMES DEBONO TWO of Malta's most powerful business groups have proposed a futuristic design for an Mriehel tower project that will consist of four cylindrical high-rise tow- ers, and which will have a major impact on long distance views. The project could fall foul of the need to safeguard views of Mdina and Valletta, a screening report by the Malta Environment and Planning Authorit y warns. It will consume seven million kWh of energy, the equivalent of energy consumed in a year by 1,500 to 1,600 average Maltese people. The proposed development will consist of four tower blocks – North Tower, South Tower, East Tower and West Tower, comprising 16, 18, 20 and 14 sto- reys respectively, sitting on top of five basement levels. The project will include 39,915 square metres of office space, 1,060 square metres of retail space, a 790 square metre show room, a 1,735 square metre gymnasium and day care centre, a 1,225 square metre supermar- ket and 33,831 square metres of parking spaces catering for 1,032 cars. A project development state- ment presented by the developers states that the aim of the project is the creation of a landmark de- velopment that will serve as a catalyst for similar investment in the Mriehel Industrial Area. The project also aims to make the Mriehel Industrial Area more attractive, both as a place of work and recreation. The towers are to be organ- ised around a central plaza. The project will include elevated, landscaped walkways and pub- lic spaces connecting the towers at Levels 2, 3 and 4. The towers will also have open air terraces on the other levels. A screening by MEPA's Envi- ronment Protection Directorate concludes that the development required an Environment Plan- ning Statement. According to the screening re- port the project is likely to have a potential significant impact on landscape and visual amenit y in the area, "including long-dis- tance views given the site con- text and its location". The application seeks permis- sion for the construction of a multi-storey commercial com- plex on a site within the Mriehel Industrial Area, on the corner of Triq il-Merghat and Triq l- Esportaturi, in Mriehel. The site for the proposed de- velopment is located on the southern edge of the Mriehel In- dustrial Area and covers an area of approximately 10,000m2. The western half of the site is currently being used as a car park in connection with the ad- jacent Gasan showroom. An abandoned farmhouse is located along the northwestern perimeter of the site and is cur- rently in a state of disrepair. The eastern side of the site is unde- veloped and previously consist- ed of agricultural land. The southern part of the devel- opment site is already committed for a multi-storey commercial complex, including a showroom, offices and car parking provi- sion. A development permit was granted to the same applicant for a five-storey development in July 2010. A Project Development State- ment presented by the develop- ers' consultants estimates that the proposal at full operation shall be consuming 7,000,000 kWh in terms of electricit y and 109,600 litres in terms of wa- ter. Excavations will result in 143,000 cubic metres of con- struction waste. The material is not expected to be of good qual- it y due to its clay content, and therefore cannot be re-used. The development will result in an increase of 2,800 employees frequenting this site. This may increase traffic and emissions in the area. Mriehel for high-rise The application for the mega development was presented in October by the Tumas and Gas- an groups, who are also partners in the ElectroGas consortium, on a site adjacent to that of the present Gasan head office on the Mriehel bypass. Mriehel was not included among the localities that will be considered for high-rise build- ings of over 10 storeys, when a policy regulating building heights was first issued for pub- lic consultation in November 2013. But then it was added to the list before the policy was approved in June. 2,937 new dwellings approved in 2014 2014 saw the highest number of maisonettes approved since 2008 and the second highest number of new units resulting from conversions of older buildings since 2000 JAMES DEBONO THE number of new dwellings ap- proved by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority has shot up from 2,707 in 2013 to 2,937 in 2014. But the number of permits for new dwellings remains slightly lower than in 2012 when 3,064 new dwellings were approved, and a far cry from the 11,343 dwellings approved in 2007, ac- cording to official MEPA statistics. The number of approved dwellings had incrementally increased every year from 3,970 in 2002 to 11,343 in 2007. But the number of approved dwellings declined sharply to 6,836 in 2008, declining every year till 2013 when it fell to 2,707. 2014 has seen the highest number of maisonettes approved since 2008. A total of 414 maisonettes were approved in 2014, compared to 352 in 2013 and just 298 in 2012. The number of apart- ments has also increased, from 2,062 in 2013 to 2,221 in 2014. But this is still considerably lower than the 2,489 apartments approved in 2012. Only 68 new residential units were approved outside development zones. These represented 2.3% of all newly approved dwellings, down from 3% in 2013 but more than the 1.4% approved in 2012. Permits for ODZ dwellings are ex- pected to increase in the next years in view of the new policy regulating rural development, which came into effect in September 2014. The policy facili- tates the conversion of existing farm buildings into dwellings. Significantly in 2014 most dwellings (64%) were approved on already devel- oped land. Only 36% were approved on virgin land. This was the lowest percentage of dwellings approved on undeveloped land since 2002. While this may indicate a decreased take up of undeveloped land it also points at increased pressure on village and town centres, which are seeing an intensification of development. The statistics do not refer to non-residen- tial developments like those related to tourism or agriculture. 2014 saw MEPA approving 505 dwellings resulting from conversions of 545 older properties. This rep- resents the second highest number of conversions approved since 2005 when 532 new units were converted from 233 older units. 1,365 dwellings were created as a result of redevelopment projects re- sulting in the demolition of 354 older properties. The number of units created from re-development projects remains lower than in 2011, when 1,592 units were created, but higher than in 2012 and 2013. English diver drowns at Dwejra A 61-year-old English woman died while she was diving off Dwejra, in the vicinity of San Lawrenz, at 11:45am yesterday. Civil Protection Department of- ficers and medics from the Gozo Hospital were called in for assist- ance but could not save her life. Magistrate Vella Cuschieri has opened an inquiry. Police investi- gations to determine the woman's cause of death are ongoing.