Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/702141
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 JULY 2016 39 This Week Since we're an island (= lots of shoreline) sitting along a bird migration route, you would expect a fair number of shorebirds to visit us. And you would be right, as more than 50 species of these wading birds have so far been recorded. Admittedly, some are very rare but several others fly in every year to spend a day or two resting and feeding before winging off south or north (depending on the season). One of our regulars is the curlew sandpiper (M: pispisella ħamra), a small bird with a long slightly curved beak, that all-important tool for probing the mud or shallows for worms and other titbits. Like many other waders, curlew sandpipers often travel in groups, so when a bunch of them turn up in spring or summer at places like Għadira nature reserve or Salina, they can be quite a spectacle. And if they come in their brick-red breeding plumage, so much the better. GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 417: RECYCLE OLD MOBILE PHONES: The average mobile phone lasts around 18 months, which means 130 million phones will be retired each year. If they go into landfills, the phones and their batteries introduce toxic substances into our environment. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text Victor Falzon Photo Aron Tanti 514. CURLEW SANDPIPER Insulating homes and businesses and fitting green energy to buildings won't just cut carbon emissions and help people who struggle to afford their energy bills. It will also boost local economies by creating green-collar jobs in Malta. And that's just the start. Ambitious investment in renewable technologies such as solar, wind and wave power could slash national emissions and create thousands more jobs. Look at what's happened in Germany. There, the renewable energy sector is worth €25 billion and employs 355,000 people. The German wind equipment manufacturing industry, which holds a 20% share of the global market, exported two-thirds of its production in 2015 Things to know about Climate Change 9 – Greening Communities creates jobs Tall or short? Public or private benefit? FOR years we have been told that it is better for the community if we con- struct tall buildings, rather than in the traditional style. It is however becom- ing increasingly evident that this is nothing but politician/developer dou- ble-speak. MYTH 1: The mantra that our politicians love to repeat is "Better up than out" into the countryside. This rea- soning is however totally flawed, as one building type cannot simply be swapped with another. Those seek- ing to build a toolroom/greenhouse/ bungalow/farmhouse/weekend getaway in the countryside will not be opting for a high-rise apartment. The proof of this is that in spite of the many applications for tall build- ings presently being processed by the Planning Authority, the number of Out of Development Zone appli- cations is at an all-time high. MYTH 2: According to the FAR (tall buildings) regulations, develop- ers are obliged to leave public open space around their buildings for the public to enjoy. However reality shows otherwise, as open space that developers indicate in the approved plans gradually gets encroached on by satellite buildings. The Porto- maso development has closed off the public walkway by the yacht ma- rina and even extended its private beach resort onto the public beach, a sac- rosanct public open space. Other open spaces are designed to boost the patronage of commercial centres, and not to attract the general public. Thus The Point piazza is in- creasingly encroached by cafes and restaurants while the six broom- stick trees do nothing to relieve the unrelenting 'concrete- ness' of the area. Growing 'real' trees on the roof of a multi-storey carpark is not easy! Neighbouring Fort Cambridge offers the public an off-putting canyon thrown into deep shade by its flanking tall buildings – no wonder no members of the public are ever seen enjoying this space, as it offers nothing to enjoy. Furthermore, Planning Authority regulations stipulate that the pub- lic open space is to be located at street level or not more than 1.5m above. And yet the same Plan- ning Authority granted a permit to the Metropolis public open space three floors above street level. Again, would a public open space at Mriehel really benefit the public? Would mothers pushing strollers or elderly people risk their lives crossing a busy motorway, when they can access the beauti- ful San Anton Gardens far more safely? MYTH 3: Tall buildings reduce urban congestion. Again, tall buildings do not replace tradi- tional buildings as they do not pro- vide accommodation that average Maltese residents can afford. The €200,000 purchase price for an average 2/3 bedroom apartment would easily jump to a starting price of €350,000 in a tall building, due to the increased costs of extra foundations, project management, surveyors, supervision of works, specialist engineering designs, higher quality materials, higher and speedier lifts, and the need for cen- tralised services like air condition- ing and sprinkler systems, garbage collection areas, extra stairwells for firefighting/security and added costs for bigger/higher cranes, concrete pumps and service lifts during con- struction works. Similarly, the costs of maintain- ing a skyscraper rise exponentially the higher the building, given the dependence on lifts, difficulty and risks of working at that height, and also the fact that materials wear out or corrode at a faster rate at higher levels due to exposure to sun and wind. Thus an apartment owner can expect to pay up to €2,000 an- nually in maintenance costs/sinking funds as well as the additional costs of security staff, garage space main- tenance, landscaping costs and pos- sibly even facilities like swimming pools. In these projects mainte- nance costs are never given up front and tend to increase yearly, much to the astonishment and incredulity of the residents. Since Maltese residents cannot af- ford such luxury properties, we will still need to build traditional blocks of flats within the development ar- eas. Therefore tall buildings will sim- ply add to the congestion, not relieve it. MYTH 4: It has been said for years that the Maltese economy needs modern office facilities, however a Planning Authority official had stated that the demand would be satisfied by the projects that have already been granted permits. So far, no proof has been presented to show that these new towers will be occupied and not end up as verti- cal corpses like the Addolorata A3 Towers. MYTH 5: Contrary to their early image of being more environmen- tal, tall buildings have been found to consume energy disproportion- ately; since apartments are far more exposed to sun and wind, they de- pend far more heavily on cooling and heating while water needs to be pumped high up and lifts are in constant use. Tall buildings in Malta do not provide the full complement of parking spaces required; the Mrie- hel towers are predicted to draw 2,900 users but the Planning Au- thority is only imposing the mini- mum parking standard of 1,000 car spaces. Traditional buildings would provide the same number of car spaces, but would offer far more on-street slots which don't exist with tall buildings, therefore the 2,000 extra cars looking for parking will increase the rate of air pollution in residential areas in Attard, Balzan, Birkirkara and Sta Venera, where parking is already a problem. Finally, tall buildings deprive sur- rounding residents of light, air and solar rights, as well as undermining tourism by ruining heritage vis- tas like the view of Mdina. Do tall buildings offer any benefits at all to the community or is the only ben- efit going into speculators' bank accounts? Given that the injunctions insti- tuted by Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar along with other NGOs and residents have prevented the first permits from being issued prema- turely, the authorities are in time to change parameters and impose better standards. It is up to us to speak out. Astrid Vella