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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 MARCH 2016 6 News JAMES DEBONO A planning policy approved last year is already paving the way for the approval of extra storeys over and above the present height limitations – without the need of amending the local plans. This is because a policy officially known as DC 15 (Development Control Policy and Design Guide- lines), translates the maximum allowable storeys as laid out in a 2006 local plan, into a specific height in metres That means that while previously developers could not build any more floors than the maximum al- lowable in the local plan, they can now edge up higher as long as they stay within the maximum height in metres. Architects who spoke to this newspaper foresee a building boom in localities such as the Sliema and Gzira seafronts, which could result in more properties be- ing placed on the market: at least three planning applications have been proposed in the past weeks proposing a ninth floor in different areas along Tower Road and The Strand in Sliema, where only eight floors are allowed. There could also be side effects – apart from the risk of over-heating the market, the new policy may create more inconvenience for residents and motorists, as more areas along the front are turned into building sites. "In areas where the height limita- tion is already eight floors there is a good chance of inserting an extra floor when you measure the height of the building in metres, especial- ly if each floor as built in the past was not very high," an architect who spoke to this newspaper said. There is a higher likelihood of an extra storey in areas where eight and seven floors are already allowed than in areas with a low- er height limitation, simply be- cause if each individual floor was built half a metre lower than the standard four metres, this would translate into buildings which are four metres lower than the height limitation in metres set in the new policy. But architects do not exclude that the new policy will also have an impact in areas where five, six and seven floors are already al- lowed. Moreover the new policy also allows higher buildings in all street corners. The architects referred to the fact that in the past decades one could find discrepancies in the height of each floor in different apartment buildings. In areas where individu- al floors are somewhat lower than the norm, developers may find space to fit another storey. While this may serve to bring greater uniformity by allowing developers to fill gaps between individual blocks, in other areas it could serve to create new blank party walls and thus encourage neighbouring owners to add extra storeys too. In fact the new policy translates the height of eight floors to be- tween 33.4 and 35.5 metres, de- pending on whether basements and semi-basements are also al- lowed in that particular area. Then, in areas where seven floors are allowed, the allowable height is now between 29.9 and 32 metres. The policy itself states that a "building shall not exceed the per- missible height as established in the Local Plans", but it also adds these heights are to be interpreted according to Annex 2 of the docu- ment which translates the heights in floors, into heights in metres. A previous policy approved in 2007 had also translated the allow- able number of storeys in height into metres, but the building heights were lower than those ap- proved last year. So a height limitation of eight storeys was converted to between 30.3 and 32.3 metres. The height of seven storeys was converted to between 26.5 and 28.5 metres. This suggests that the new policy is more liberal in setting building heights. Moreover the policy specifies that "a building shall not exceed the permitted number of floors, as specified in the Local Plans, and al- so the allowable maximum height in metres." This clearly excluded extra storeys over and above the local plan limits. Of the three planning applica- tions submitted in the past weeks for Sliema, one proposes an "addi- tional floor on the eighth floor" on a recently approved block in Triq ix-Xatt and Triq Lunzjata along the Strand. Another application foresees a receded ninth floor on an existing Tower Road block opposite Ghar id-Dud. Sonnet Investments, whose sole director is Ian Decesare, is propos- ing a sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and penthouse level floors on an- other block in Triq ix-Xatt in the vicinity of Bisazza Street. The applications have been filed in the wake of persistent rumours that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority is considering a relaxation of height limitations which would allow an extra sto- rey along the Sliema front, where present policies limit development to eight storeys. But it now turns out that policies have already been changed to relax the local plan height limitations. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt New heights policy paves way for property boom Education commission gives Sadeen warning Draft gay marriage law, MGRM says on political consensus CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The name "American University of…" is best known in the cases of Beirut and Cairo, which for more than a century signified an American style of education in prestigious colleges. Sadeen is a construc- tion firm with interests in tour- ism, but it has involved DePaul University of Chicago to provide curricular materials for 10-degree programmes – but not to offer degrees. The NCFHE was put under a harsh spotlight after it fell upon it to vet Sadeen Education's creden- tials and requirements to set up a private university for what was a preordained government project. Commission chairman Martin Scicluna had to fend off criticism from the Opposition for his own defence of a controversial legal notice that relaxed the onerous conditions for educational insti- tutions to be classified as univer- sities, and which was published days after the government signed its agreement with Sadeen. The rules allow the NCFHE to invoke the "national interest" as one of several criteria for the le- gal recognition of an educational institute as a university. The minimum fields for programmes leading to higher diplomas, Bach- elors' and Masters' degrees, were also reduced from six to four; and the requirement for universi- ties to have at least four fields in which doctorate programmes are offered, was removed. PN MEP Therese Comodini Cachia, who shadows education, said the re- laxed rules made "a mockery of the edifice of standards". The law was tweaked three days after a heads of agreement was signed with Sadeen, forcing edu- cation minister Evarist Bartolo to deny that the rules were intro- duced to appease the Jordanians. Sadeen Education eventually had to undergo a rigorous and in- dependent quality-screening test. mvella@mediatoday.com.mt MIRIAM DALLI THE Malta Gay Rights Movement has called on MPs to put forward a bill opening up marriage to all couples irrespective of their gen- der, "without delay". MGRM coordinator Gabi Calleja welcomed the cross-party consen- sus on gay marriages after both Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Opposition leader Simon Busuttil came out in favour. "MGRM welcomes the support expressed for marriage equality from both the Prime Minister the Leader of the Opposition," Calleja said. "Given that there seems to be consensus on the issue MGRM urges for a bill to be drafted, open- ing up marriage to all couples irre- spective of gender, without delay." The Labour leader was address- ing a working lunch organised by the female branch of the La- bour Party when a lesbian couple, amongst other participants, said they wished gay marriage would be introduced. Muscat concurred that the time had come for a national debate on the issue, saying that "it might be a question of terminology, but why not?" "Although some people might think that the public isn't ready for gay marriage, I think that the country requires leadership," he said. "We must continuously keep looking forward." The current legislation, intro- duced by the Labour government, puts civil unions on a par with marriage. In a reaction, Busuttil confirmed that he would support the "change of name to marriages, since the civil unions legislation already gives couples the same rights and duties as those invoked by civil marriages". Calling it "a non-issue", Busuttil accused Muscat of using gay mar- riages to deviate attention from the raging controversy which his chief of staff and the energy minis- ter have found themselves in after it became known that they both have offshore interests in Panama.