Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/734922
2 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 5 OCTOBER 2016 News Paceville mega projects to generate 2 million cubic metres of construction waste Increase in construction activity to result in vast quantities of construction waste which would increase pressure to use this material for land reclamation projects which will only be viable if more apartments are build on reclaimed sea. PHOTOGRAPHY BY: CHRIS MANGION JAMES DEBONO THE nine-mega developments in Paceville are expected to create between one and two million cu- bic metres of construction waste- more than the total amount of construction waste dumped in a single year. The amount could increase fur- ther with the excavation of a tun- nel proposed under regional road earmarked for after 2018. Altogether, the nine Paceville developments included in the masterplan will create 1.17 mil- lion square metres of new ground space set on different f loors- which is nine times that of the combined Mriehel and Sliema towers approved by the Planning Authority in August. The two projects - which have a combined gross f loor area of 135,149 square metres - will to- gether generate 276,115 cubic metres of excavation waste. Although a direct comparison can't be made due to variations in geology and parking require- ments, a conservative estimate, confirmed by experts in the field, indicates that development in Paceville will generate around two million cubic metres of con- struction waste. A report by the Environment Resources Authority described the amount of construction waste from the Sliema Towns- quare project as a major impact, because the 109,215 cubic metres of construction waste from this project amounts to 7.7% of the annual amount of construction waste dumped in Malta. With more high-rise develop- ments - all of which require ex- cavations for underground park- ings - expected at Mriehel, Tigne, Qawra and Gzira the situation could reach unsustainable pro- portions. The situation would worsen further if a tunnel is de- veloped connecting Malta to Gozo. Sources in both the Planning Authority confirmed that the vast quantities of construction waste generated by these mega projects will increase political pressures for land reclamation projects like the ones being pro- posed in Portomaso in St Julian's and Jerma in Marsascala. Land reclamation using con- struction and demolition waste was already proposed as a solu- tion in 2006 by the previous ad- ministration during a similar construction boom but a study conducted by British consultancy Scott Wilson concluded that this was not economically feasible due to large financial cost involved. Land reclamation According to the report these costs can only be redeemed through large-scale real estate development in ecologically sen- sitive areas. In this way land rec- lamation would fuel even more construction activity. Surprisingly this resource problem is completely over- looked in the masterplan for Paceville which proposes nine sites for high rise developments in Paceville and a land reclama- tion project over 38,700 square metres of reclaimed land which will include buildings rising up to 15 f loors. The masterplan simply states that excavation, construction and demolition wastes are dis- posed at 16 permitted spent quarries. But a study commissioned by the Planning Authority in 2007 concluded that no space would be left for construction waste to be dumped in Malta's disused quarries by 2020. Malta could have gained some more years be- cause of a drastic decline in the amount of construction waste, from 1.3 million tons in 2008 to just 300,000 tonnes in 2009, may have given Malta more time. But with construction activity boom- ing again space in disused quar- ries may run out sooner. Another option is to dump con- struction waste in the sea in a spoil ground located northeast of Valletta. A staggering 2.3 mil- lion cubic metres of construction waste was dumped in an offshore "spoil ground" located northeast of Valletta harbour between 2003 and 2010. The environmental impacts of this operation are still being assessed. But Malta's waste management plan regards dumping-at-sea as a temporary solution to the prob- Corinthia, 22 storeys Buildings will step down to St George's Bay but taller buildings are allowed to create gateway landmark to the north of the site ITS, 30 storeys Buildings set out perpendicularly to the bay, with largest amount of frontage having views to the sea. Plans envision retail, a tall office building and a shopping centre Villa Rosa, 30 storeys Tallest building is in the easternmost part of the site to minimise the overshadowing of the beach and two retain Villa Rosa as the prominent landmark overlooking the beach. The two western sites within Villa Rosa are capped at 10 storeys Saint George's Park, 34 storeys Three tall buildings envisaged, with four southern blocks dedicated to offices while three blocks to the north are residential. At ground floor bars and restaurants will be developed Westin Dragonara, 26 storeys Buildings will step back towards the Dragonara beach with a taller building of 26 storeys to the north of the site, to minimise overshadowing of coastline Portomaso, 15 storeys Low-rise approach but 'another high-rise tower could be acceptable': the two options are low-rise along the coast or a "high-rise building provided its architectural treatment is of the highest quality." Since the sea around Portomaso is deemed "relatively shallow" the area has potential for land reclamation even if it is "adjacent to a Marine Area of Conservation" Mercury House, 35 storeys Prime office location while other towers will cater for residences The Business Centre, 11 storeys Situated along Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli, regional road: these two sites will have a low-rise cluster rising to 11 storeys, serving as the gateway to Paceville and access to the regional road tunnel