Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/725667
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2016 15 tightly together that even people living in the street behind you are your neighbours…" It seems strange that Malta would have gone through this experience without apparently taking any of the lessons on board. "Had things been planned better 40 years ago, and had the possibility existed to buy three or four houses and re- develop them into single blocks… we might have had taller buildings longer ago, but with more open space, and more consideration for the surroundings. But the way things happened, each owner of each plot did what best suited his or her needs at the time. And now, the same thing is happening again. And it's probably going to carry on happening for God knows how long…" In one respect, however, there is a difference between the two sce- narios. The type and scale of some of today's projects simply didn't exist as a possibility in the 1980s and 1990s. So far we have spoken only about the redevelopment on single houses into apartments. How is the council gearing up for the infrastructural challenges implicit in the impending mega- projects: including a 38-storey sky- scraper that will increase traffic to and from Sliema by an estimated 3,500 cars daily? "Unfortunately, we have very few powers when it comes to these things. Any development permit application is copied to us, and we put forward our objections. But the decisions are taken else- where. With regard to the projects you mention, our objections are all about whether due considera- tion has been given to infrastruc- tural issues. What is going to hap- pen with the problem of parking, which is already very acute? This will add to the strain. There is also the issue of waste. Over the years, it was a policy that larger develop- ments had to have a space reserved for residents to dispose of their waste. Business was so good, how- ever, that developers decided that space could be easily converted into garages and sold, rather than using it for the original intention. This has been happening for a long time now, and there seems to be no end in sight…" In a sense, the cycle of develop- ment is also self-perpetuating in Sliema. So much money has been made in the past, that property speculators seem to have eyes only for Sliema at the moment. "This is another thing that bugs me … though I don't necessar- ily blame the developers; after all, they're there to make money. But Sliema has been singled out as an 'easy investment' option. Recently I was looking at some property in another area, and was told by an estate agent – who obviously didn't know who I was – that 'the only wise place to invest in is Sliema'. What does this mean? Because investment in Sliema worked for some people, it will work for eve- ryone? This practically condemns the town to more development. It means that developers will flock to what they think is easy money…" It also entails a significant risk: if not at present, at least in the fu- ture. "This is why I feel – though I don't want to say it - that the bub- ble could burst. Earlier you asked me about demand. There is defi- nitely demand at the moment… in fact, when a new rental oppor- tunity comes onto the market, it is usually taken up that same day. But with so much happening right now… will there be enough de- mand in future?" Another question concerns whether any of the presumed buy- ers or renters would be willing to put up with the effects of living in a permanent building site. This is the fate currently facing Sliema's actual population…. which NSO statistics indicate is ageing fast, as younger residents tend to move to other parts of Malta, leaving a largely elderly community behind. This also suggests that the major- ity of the residents who will have to endure years of construction are also arguably the most vulnerable: the ones likelier to suffer from mo- bility issues, for instance, and who would be more adversely affected by the closure of a street… "Yes, undeniably. I wouldn't say that all Sliema residents are in that category; it's true that a lot of younger people have moved out, but some also move back in. I am one of them myself: I was born and raised in Sliema, but I spent some time living elsewhere before mov- ing back. And other residents are also choosing to live in Sliema all the time. But in general terms, yes, there is a higher proportion of el- derly residents, and these are also the ones who have lived here the longest. They now have to face construction in front of them, on either side of them, behind them… and then, once the projects are completed, they will also have to face the consequences of so many more people living on the same footprint…" But Chircop seems to suggest that this category will be hard- est hit for another reason. "Even the ones who decided to remain, because they don't want to face traumatic changes to their life- style before they depart this world forever… these people now find themselves in a situation where the quicker they move out, the bet- ter… because their house can then be developed. All around them, they see people looking at them wondering when they will finally leave – one way or the other – be- cause they're standing in the way of development. Let's face it: it's not the happiest way to spend your final years…" Interview As construction mania reaches fever pitch in long-suffering Sliema, mayor ANTHONY CHIRCOP warns that residents increasingly feel under pressure to move out altogether PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MANGION development is out of control