Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/826032
maltatoday, FRIDAY, 19 MAY 2017 News 8 PAUL COCKS A masterplan for Mriehel has not yet been drawn up and Transport Malta was in fact at least two years away from final- ising such a plan, the authority's CEO testified in Court. James Piscopo – testifying in court in an appeal instituted by eNGOs Flimkien għal Amb- jent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth, Ramblers Association and Qui si-Sana Tigne Residents' Asso- ciation against the decision to grant a permit for the develop- ment of four high-rise buildings in Mriehel – confirmed that a masterplan for the area has not been implemented or finalised to date. He said that a masterplan would take at least another two years to finalise, despite the fact that the area has been changed into a traffic-generating enter- prise hub. In a statement, the eNGOs noted that the high-rise devel- opment in Mriehel would be completed before a masterplan was in place, further straining the junctions at the traffic lights by the MFSA and the Mriehel secondary school which are al- ready operating beyond capac- ity. "Lack of proper and timely planning will only result in further congestion and traffic mayhem which the eNGOs vow to challenge at every turn," they said. 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 show- room, 1,155 square metres of retail facilities, 930 square metres for conference facili- ties and an additional 1,000 sq.m for retail. The Tumas and Gasan groups want to target compa- nies operating primarily with- in the financial services sector that want to have their offices in the four towers, apart from providing a massive super- market, a childcare centre and retail shops. Plans earmark a floor space of 33,000 square metres for office space. The erection of four high- rise towers at Mriehel is ex- pected to result in a daily increase of 1,362 cars a day passing from Triq l-Imdina, according to the Environment Impact Statement on the im- pact of the proposed towers by Tumas and Gasan Groups. Traffic is set to increase by 4% on the west part of Mdina Road (an extra 694 cars) and by a staggering 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. The policy on tall buildings approved by the government in 2014 states clearly that high-rise developments must provide all car-parking re- quirements 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. However, studies showed that the project would result in a parking shortfall of 498 parking spaces, which would be in breach of policy. The Traffic Impact Assess- ment (TIA) justified this un- der-provision of parking spac- es by the commitment taken by the developer to encourage alternative models of trans- port as part of the require- ments for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. istro Mriehel masterplan at least two years away, Transport Malta CEO tells Court