MaltaToday previous editions

MT 31 July 2016

Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/709569

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 1 of 71

maltatoday, SUNDAY, 31 JULY 2016 2 News Former PA deputy chair had doubts on Mriehel's inclusion for high-rise JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority's former deputy chairperson had raised doubts on whether government's insistence on adding Mrie- hel in a high-rise policy could even be ac- cepted, after a public consultation period on locations for tall buildings had closed. Franco Montesin is revealed in minutes of a PA Board meeting held in March 2014, of having specifically asked "whether com- ments from government can be accepted" after the end of public consultation, to add Mriehel as a location for tall buildings. At the time, Mriehel had been excluded from the PA's draft policy. Then the government told the PA to add the industrial area, where the business groups Tumas and Gasan would later file a planning application for a four-tower of- fice development that is expected to reach up to 20 storeys. It was the PA official and architect Joe Scalpello, who coordinated the draft pol- icy, who simply "confirmed" that govern- ment could add Mriehel. So the board proceeded to agree to amending the policy to reflect the govern- ment's submissions. On his part, PA board member Prof. Vic- tor Axiak, who now chairs the Environ- ment Resources Authority, insisted on the reason for including Mriehel to be in- cluded in the policy – namely, "due to its potential as a business hub". And PA chief executive officer Johann Buttigieg added that the intention was to "create a strategic employment node". In the draft policy on high-rise issued for public consultation in November 2013, Mriehel had been missing from the list of locations – planning ombudsman David Pace decried its inclusion, saying "it should have been put to public consultation prior to the final approval by the MEPA board." The Gasan and Tumas groups are seek- ing permits for four tower blocks rising from 14 to 20 storeys, a decision of which the PA Board will take on Thursday – the very same day a decision will be taken on a 38-storey tower in Sliema proposed by the Gasan Group. The high-rise minutes also show that the government also proposed additional floor space over and above that which is al- lowable, may be "considered" by the PA if the tall buildings proposal is declared as a "project of strategic economic benefit" by the government. The Opposition's representative on the board, Ryan Callus, questioned whether this proposal impinged on the PA's inde- pendence. But chairman Vince Cassar in- sisted that the policy was simply allowing the PA to consider additional floor space and not imposing it. New policy dubbed an "act of faith" Before a final vote was taken on the pol- icy, Prof. Victor Axiak made it clear that "he has great misgivings on the policy as drafted and he was not happy with certain decisions." But he expressed his hope that "future deciding bodies will use the policy in the spirit in which it was discussed." "In voting in favour of the policy I am making an act of faith in future deciding bodies, as there are too many loopholes in the policy," Axiak said. Paul Apap Bologna, who is no longer part of the PA board, voted in favour. He is a director of GEM Holdings, the company that brings together Gasan and Tumas and Apap Bologna's CP Holdings. GEM is part of the consortium constructing the LNG plant at Delimara. Apap Bologna officially notified the PA chairman of his sharehold- ing in GEM in May 2013, asking to be ex- cused from any sittings related to this pro- ject. No detailed maps identifying high-rise zones One of the ambiguities of the policy regu- lating heights is that it identified the locali- ties where high- and medium-rise develop- ment can take place without including a map precisely showing where such devel- opment can take place in these localities. When discussing the identification of Marsaskala as a "medium rise" zone, the Planning Authority's CEO, Johann Butti- gieg, told the board that the "government has indicated that no maps should be in- cluded so as to avoid speculation on land prices", adding that if the board "felt that speculation was not a concern, it could recommend the introduction of maps." No maps were ever published to iden- tify the extent of both areas identified for high-rise (over 10 storey buildings) and medium-rise development where devel- opment twice the height limitation in lo- cal plans can be permitted. Medium-rise development in Marsaskala would result in eight-storey developments. N a t i o n a l i s t MP Ryan Cal- lus insisted that the document was not clear enough about which sites could be devel- oped and that this could result in difficulties in the future. He also referred to the problem of delineat- ing a border between Tigné (one of the ar- eas proposed for high-rise) and the rest of Sliema. Prof. Axiaq questioned what would be gained by allowing sites to be considered for medium-rise development. Planning officer Joe Scalpello replied that this could result in better design and more open spaces. Johann Buttigieg justified the inclusion of Marsaskala as a zone for medium-rise development arguing that "when the Jerma Hotel closed down, life in Marsaskala died down." He said the policy "could bring about regeneration in the south of Malta" and revealed two sites "large enough to accom- modate such development" given the 5,000 square metre area requirement for such projects. Buttigieg was immediately corrected by Scalpello, who specified that a 5,000 square-metre site was not a requirement in the medium-rise localities, adding that "the only requirement is for a site to be surrounded by streets on each side." Prof. Axiaq insisted on taking a vote on this issue "to determine whether the board would be recommending to the minis- ter the inclusion of detailed maps." Only deputy chairperson Franco Montesin, Prof. Axiak and Ryan Callus voted for the inclusion of "detailed maps" identifying acceptable locations for both high-rise and medium-rise development. Architect participated in meetings The minutes also show that architect Ray Demicoli – presently the architect of the Mriehel project proposed by Gasan-Tu- mas – participated in meetings discussing the policy on building heights, specifically due to his appointment by the government on the same committee given the task of drafting the new policy. Demicoli is also the architect for a 40-storey hotel in Tigné proposed by GAP Holdings, and serves on the PA's design advisory committee which assesses the de- sign quality of proposed buildings. But he absents himself from meetings discussing projects in which he is involved as archi- tect. The high-rise working group Demicoli formed part of in fact did not refer to Mrie- hel, which was only added thanks to the government's late intervention. When addressing the board in November 2013 Demicoli argued that "it would be ap- propriate to identify a financial centre and channel investment into such an area" and also argued for the "need to protect views from Mdina" and for high-rise localities to be "served by an adequate traffic network". He also proposed the inclusion of a pro- vision that such buildings be able to with- stand a Richter Scale force 6 tremor. When asked to back this proposal with studies, Demicoli replied that historically Malta was never hit by an earthquake above this scale. The approved policy now refers to the need to assess "the seismic design of buildings" without referring to a specific scale. Franco Montesin (right) wondered if comments from the government could be accepted once the public consultation on high-rise had been closed Rising high (above and right): The Gasan and Tumas groups want to build four tower blocks in Mriehel

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of MaltaToday previous editions - MT 31 July 2016