Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/525174
2 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 JUNE 2015 News Better to build vertically than horizontally MARTINA BORG MOST Sliema residents asked about plans for more high-rise buildings in the locality agree with the idea. The majority of passers-by in Sliema agreed that building more high-rise buildings in the town was acceptable, especially if the build- ings were expected to boost the economy. "It's better to construct buildings upwards than to build outwards," said St Julian's resident Stephen Gauci. Gauci said he was not against de- velopment as long as it was planned in modern areas and not areas that are either historically or ecologi- cally important. "There are modern and traditional areas in the same cities all over the world, and there's nothing wrong with that," he added. Asked what their opinion of such buildings was, a number of resi- dents said that they weren't per- sonally affected by the planned construction but that they were ac- ceptable as long as they were for the greater good. Valletta resident Carmel Rocco expressed concerns about the safe- ty of such a building. "What would happen if there were a fire for instance?" he wondered, adding that he preferred traditional buildings. Rocco was not the only one to cite his preference for tra- ditional buildings in his reply, with Sliema resident Charles Micallef saying he preferred the buildings more typical of his youth. Other respondents said that such buildings were the way forward, to ensure that more housing was available. Sliema resident Chris Engerer termed the area a 'concrete jungle', but he said that he was not against such buildings in the name of progress. Plans proposed to the Malta En- vironment and Planning Authority some weeks ago show two new tow- ers fighting for the honour of be- coming Malta's tallest buildings. A 40-storey tower being proposed on top of the Fort Cambridge offic- ers' mess is set to become Malta's tallest tower block and in a separate development, plans for the town square project proposed by Mark Gasan, the son of magnate Joseph Gasan, have also been changed. Plans submitted recently show the height of the main tower increas- ing from the 34 storeys proposed in September 2014 to 38 storeys. If approved the two Sliema tow- ers will be higher than any other building in Malta, surpassing by far the Portomaso tower, which is 23 floors. Not very far away, the planned Metropolis development in Gzira will also reach to the sky, rising to 33 floors. mborg@mediatoday.com.mt Opposition wants answers on state guarantee to new power station THE Nationalist Party has called on the government to shed light on how it handed out an €88 mil- lion state guarantee to cover a bank loan for the private consor- tium selected to build the new gas power station. "This unprecedented step is highly questionable," the PN said in a statement. "The facility was not mentioned in the Request for Proposals issued for the building of the power station. This means that other competing companies have been disadvantaged by this guarantee because they were not aware that it was possible." Last week, the Times of Malta revealed that Electrogas was awarded an €88 million bank guarantee after it had become evi- dent that they could not raise the money otherwise. Sources close to the Bank of Valletta told the newspaper that the gas power sta- tion project would not have been possible without this loan. "What led the government to go against precedent and guarantee the financing of works awarded to a private consortium through a public call for proposals?" the PN questioned. "When was the guar- antee issued by the government? Who authorised the issue of the guarantee by the government? What aspect of the new power station project is covered by the guarantee? "What are the terms and con- ditions of the guarantee? Un- der what circumstances can the guarantee issued by the govern- ment be called upon by the bank? Under what circumstances can the government be released from such guarantee? "The Prime Minister has bound his political future with the time- ly delivery of this project. Con- sequently, what is really at stake here is the Prime Minister guar- anteeing his own political prom- ise at the expense of taxpayers. "The government keeps resist- ing all calls for transparency and to publish the documentation relative to the award of contract to build a new power station in Delimara." Anthony Micallef Chris Engerer Charles Micallef Carmel Rocco Stephen Gauci Residents react to plans to construct further high-rise buildings in the Sliema area Artist's impression of the proposed Sliema towers