Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/717204
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 21 AUGUST 2016 8 News Mriehel photomontages not 'naked eye' as laid down in conditions Mriehel high-rise photomontages could be in breach of the terms of reference for the Environment Impact Assessment, which specified that these should reflect what is visible to the naked eye JAMES DEBONO PHOTOMONTAGES submit- ted in the Environment Impact Statement for the Mriehel tow- ers had to be a "faithful repro- duction of what is visible to the naked eye", according to the terms of reference for the project issued by the Planning Authority before the study was conducted in April 2015. Terms of reference are is- sued by the Environment and Resources Authority and its predecessor to highlight which studies are to be carried out in the EIS and also provide spe- cific guidelines on how these studies are to be conducted. Most terms of reference is- sued in the past included a standard requirement that all photomontages should reflect "what is visible to the naked eye." Photomontages showing the impact of the Mriehel high-rise on sensitive views like those from the Mdina bastions or Hastings Garden in Valletta were taken using a 25mm wide angle. Photographer Daniel Cilia contends that the photomon- tages had been taken with a wide-angle lens, which made objects appear more distant than they do to the human eye. Cilia's argument was sup- ported by Environment and Resources Authority chairman Victor Axiak, who in a written submission said he had person- ally visited the Mdina view- point and found the actual view was different to that seen in the photographs. The terms of reference for the Environment Impact Statement for the Mriehel towers speci- fied that photomontages show- ing the impact of the towers on long distance views should be "of good quality, with faithful reproduction approximating as much as reasonably possible what would normally be visible to the naked eye." A circular issued by the PA in November 2015, after the EIS was presented, specifies that when presenting photo- montages showing the impact of particular projects on long distance views a "high qual- ity digital SLR camera with a full frame sensor and a 50mm fixed focal length camera lens is used". According to the circular the "use of a 28mm fixed focal length camera lens shall only be permitted in very particular circumstances". jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt PA to approve Sadeen's campus without Bormla parking plans JAMES DEBONO THE proposed educational institu- tion proposed by Sadeen group in Cospicua will require 324 parking spaces but no such facilities are be- ing offered on the site of the British building, which is set to be approved next Thursday. The Planning Directorate is rec- ommending approval of the appli- cation to erect a new storey on the historical British building to house part of the new campus, in the ab- sence of feedback from Transport Malta on the traffic impact of the project. Curiously, the development on the British building is set to be ap- proved in isolation of development over the Knights building, which is yet to be considered in a separate planning application which has yet to be presented. When the decision to split the campus between Zoqor and Dock No 1 was announced in September last year, an area known as St Paul's Car Park was also identified as part of the project. According to the document pre- sented on that occasion 150 park- ing spaces were to be created in the Cottonera component, and 300 parking spaces were to be provided at Marsaskala. This would still rep- resent a parking shortfall of 174 parking spaces at Bormla. The case officer report notes that the proposed educational institu- tion would cater for 500 students and 40 staff members. In line with the PA's parking formula this would require the provision of 324 parking spaces. While noting that the cur- rent application does not include any parking provision, the case of- ficer sidelines this shortcoming claiming that this application "is the first phase of a larger project which will be required to address the over- all parking provision of the entire educational institution." In fact transport-related issues are being treated as a "reserved matter" which "shall be addressed compre- hensively in the application of the next phase" of the development specifically "at Dock No 1". No reference is made in the case officer report to the dormitories and sport facilities proposed at Zonqor point. No planning application has so far been presented for develop- ment on this ODZ site. Transport Malta did not even re- ply to the Planning Authority when it was asked for feedback on this ap- plication. 25mm wide angle 50mm wide angle Photomontages showing the impact of the Mriehel high-rise (below) on sensitive views like those from Hastings Garden in Valletta were taken using a 25mm wide angle