Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/710370
5 Interviewed by MaltaToday, de- veloper Michael Soler, a director of the Gasan Group, insisted that the creation of more car park spaces means that cars will not have to move around Sliema until they find where to park. That means elimi- nating the creation of on street congestion, he argued. "The car park will ensure a better traffic flow." But studies also show a shortfall of 234 parking spaces. This is be- cause the project would only in- clude 778 parking spaces of which 355 will be reserved for the resi- dents of the tower while the project will create a demand for 982 park- ing spaces. The case officer report concludes that the shortfall would impact on visitors to the commer- cial establishments included in the project and not the residents of the tower. Still the case officer also re- fers to studies showing that when the parking needs of different users are also taken into account the pro- ject would have an "adequate park- ing provision." Michael Soler insists that accord- ing to the local plan the develop- ers can develop the 12,000 square metres of land in the area into 26 blocks with an average height of seven to eight storeys, which would have the same impact on parking. "The only difference is that by us- ing the floor area ratio we will keep half of the site as an open public space." Visual and geological impact of townsquare The Environment and Resources Authority expressed concern on the visual impact of the project. While the EIA consultants com- missioned by the Gasan Group warned that the project would have a major impact when seen from Tower Road and from the Preluna Hotel, the ERA contends that the project would also have a major im- pact when seen from Manoel Island and the Valletta ferry landing. The Environment Resources Au- thority had expressed concern on the results of a scanline geological survey included in the EIA, which warned of the "potential collapse of excavation". This impact is de- scribed as "uncertain" in the EPS. Geologist Peter Gatt has warned that a geological study submitted as part of the Townsquare high-rise project did not flag a layer of "very weak rock" that could pose prob- lems in supporting tall buildings. A financial hub in Mriehel The Mriehel development will in total include four tower blocks of 15, 17, 19, and 14 storeys, organised around a central piazza, and sitting on top of five basement levels. El- evated walkways and bridges will connect the four towers. The project is to include a 975 sq.m supermarket, an 840 sq.m gym, a 700 sq.m showroom, 1,155 square metres of retail facilities, 930 square metres for conference facilities and an additional 1,000 square metres for retail. The Tumas and Gasan groups want to target companies operat- ing primarily within the financial services sector that want to have their offices in the four towers, apart from providing a massive su- permarket, a childcare centre and retail shops. Plans earmark a floor space of 33,000 square metres for office space. One of the advantages of the Mriehel location is that the towers are in very close proximity to the Malta Financial Services Authority, as well as the headquarters of the main banks (Bank of Valletta and HSBC) and audit firms Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The environmental impact state- ment (EIS) claims that the financial services sector is generating a num- ber of new employment opportu- nities due to the development of Malta as a reputable financial juris- diction, and that there is a demand for appropriate, quality accommo- dation to facilitate expansion of the sector: "The scheme is proposed in direct response to the demand for new commercial office space." Ac- cording to the developers the pro- ject will result in the creation of up to approximately 2,635 jobs. When asked by MaltaToday whether there is enough demand for offices considering the various concurrent projects ranging from SmartCity, the Metropolis in Gzira and Sky Parks, Ray Fenech replied that demand is so big that at Porto- maso they have an enormous wait- ing list and no office space is empty. He referred to sectors like the gam- ing industry whose hunger for of- fice space in Malta is insatiable. "For every office we lease, we have 10 others in the waiting list," Fene- ch said. A parking shortfall in Mriehel The erection of four high-rise towers at Mriehel is expected to re- sult in a daily increase of 1,362 cars a day passing from Triq l-Imdina, according to the Environment Im- pact Statement on the impact of the proposed towers by Tumas and Gasan Groups. The study shows that in the ab- sence of the project, a daily aver- age of 12,995 cars would pass daily along the eastern part of Mdina Road in 2019. This would increase to a daily 14,357 if the project is ap- proved, an increase of 10%. Traffic is set to increase by 4% on the west part of Mdina Road (an extra 694 cars) and by a stagger- ing 20% along Triq il-Merghat (an extra 668 cars). In total this would result in an extra daily 2,724 cars along the three roads. Despite the considerable increase in cars brought about by the pro- ject, studies concluded that there would be a "negligible" increase in fine dust particles and in nitrogen dioxide. The policy on tall buildings ap- proved by the government in 2014 states clearly that high-rise developments must provide all car-parking requirements on site. Whenever this is not technically possible these should provide parking facilities not more than 250 metres away from the site of the development. The case officer report is recom- mending the approval of the four high-rise towers in Mriehel be- longing to the Gasan and Tumas groups, despite studies showing that the project would result in a parking shortfall of 498 parking spaces, which would be in breach of policy. The Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) justifies this under-provi- sion of parking spaces by the com- mitment taken by the developer to encourage alternative models of transport as part of the require- ments for LEED (Leadership in En- ergy and Environmental Design) certification. As part of this commitment the development includes the provi- sion of 105 bicycle racks and 54 preferential parking spaces will be allocated for car sharing initiatives. However the TIA notes, "these measures alone are unlikely to re- sult in a significant modal shift." Therefore an improvement in pub- lic transport services is deemed to be essential. The developer is being expected to take a commitment to organise collective transport for employees for a period of five years. Views from and towards Mdina Photomontages presented in the EIS indicate that the project will have little impact on views from Mdina. This was a major concern because Mriehel stands in the line of vision between Mdina and Valletta. Seen from il-Pjazza tas- Sur bastions in Mdina, the pro- ject results in a "barely noticeable change" and does "not break the skyline", the study concludes. But the study fails to assess the impact of the project of views to- wards Mdina from other locali- ties, which are in the same line of vision. Moreover the impact on land- scape character is considered to be of "major significance" in relation to the character of the urban con- urbation of central Malta, which includes densely populated towns like Birkirkara and Qormi: "The scheme will introduce a new feature to this landscape, which will contribute to the dense effect that the existing urban conurba- tion already exhibits." On the other hand the project is visible from Valletta. Environmentalists contend that the project will have a significant impact on views towards Mdina from areas like Fleur de Lys, which were not assessed in the EIA. 166,900 cubic meters of waste The project will create a massive 166,900 cubic metres of construc- tion waste, which will be exca- vated. Due to its clay content, there is limited potential for the exca- vated rock to be reused as build- ing stone, either on or off-site. But the EIS suggests that the material be used as fill, in the restoration of exhausted quarries, and for the restoration of the quarries for ag- ricultural use, since the material retains humidity. The EIS warns that that 'any wa- ter coming into the site will make excavation conditions somewhat awkward and possibly difficult'. But a geotechnical report has ascertained that the ground wa- ter level is much lower than the proposed excavation level. "How- ever, if water percolates into the site, the contractor will have the responsibility of pumping it out, by means of bowser," the study states. A Project Development State- ment presented by the develop- ers' consultants' estimates that the proposal at full operation will be consuming 7,000,000 kWh in terms of electricity and 109,600 liters in terms of water. The Water Services Corpora- tion has asked for a €770,000 bank guarantee from the Tumas and Gasan groups, aimed at safe- guarding the structural stability of the sewer gallery which lies be- neath the land where a four-tower project has been proposed. The WSC has also asked for the sub- mission of a "contingency plan" for the deviation of sewage in case the gallery collapses during the works and has to be reconstruct- ed. The WSC is insisting that if this happens the developer would have to pay for the reconstruction. maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 3 AUGUST 2016 News petition MPs ahead projects decisions tion in residential areas in Attard, Balzan, Birkirkara and Sta Venera, where parking is already a prob- lem. The 2007 Townsquare Traffic Impact Study does not include the impact of more recent projects, including the 40-storey Fort Cam- bridge hotel tower, which with Townsquare, will result in an in- crease of 5,768 daily car trips caus- ing gridlock on already congested roads. "Tall buildings deprive residents of light, air and solar rights, and will change Malta's landscape for ever, ruining heritage vistas like the view of Mdina, which will im- pact Malta's tourism appeal," FAA said. "Mriehel was included in the high-rise policy underhandedly, after the public consultation had closed. This means high-rise de- velopment in Mriehel does not re- flect the will of the people, and is possibly illegal." high-rise A mock-up of proposed towers in Mriehel by the Gasan and Tumas groups The Sliema Townsquare project, rendered on a view from the Sliema seafront