Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/939870
maltatoday SUNDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2018 4 News High-rise• Impact on townscapes 'an inevitable consequence of Malta's economic model' JAMES DEBONO THE view of Valletta from Rinel- la Bay in Kalkara is set to be sub- stantially changed by the twin impact of the approved Towns- quare development and a 40-sto- rey hotel proposed by Fort Cam- bridge developers GAP Holdings. This is confirmed by an Envi- ronmental Impact Statement as- sessing the impact of the 40-sto- rey hotel, which is describing the change to the Maltese landscape as "an inevitable consequence of the economic model" based on financial services adopted by Malta. "Once it was decided that Mal- ta's economic future was to be based to a substantial degree on financial services and high-tech operations, it was inevitable for such a transformation to be re- flected on urban skylines." The EIA coordinators, ERSLI, insisted that the skyline was not a static feature of townscape but a dynamic component of urban de- velopment, "the form of which is determined by and may affect the political, economic, and social relationships, both the collabora- tive and confrontational ones be- tween different interests, which feature in specific contexts." How views will change The present panoramic view across the Rinella Bay towards the Grand Harbour is framed by the bastions, Villa Bighi on the left and an operational quay is prominent on the right. The ex- isting Fort Cambridge develop- ment in Tigné peninsula is also visible in the distance. Behind the bastions church cu- polas are distinct, and provide a landmark on the historic skyline of Valletta. The impact on Kalkara views was one of the reasons cited for limiting the height of the original development when the project was approved in 2009. Back than a decision was taken to allow 20 storeys while limiting their height to that normally occupied by 16 storeys. But this is all set to change if the new 40-storey hotel is ap- proved and Townsquare gets the final confirmation of the appeals board. "The two towers (i.e. Fort Cam- bridge and Townsquare) would dominate and rise over the ex- isting skyline to a significant de- gree… These changes will add another layer to a skyline which has been evolving for hundreds of years," the EIA for the hotel pro- ject concludes. The change is described as sub- stantial and the impact is consid- ered to be of major significance. The impact from Great Siege Road and Triq il-Lanca in Val- letta is also described as being of major significance because the two towers will approximately double the height of the tallest buildings on the Tigné penin- sula. The development is also expected to have a marked im- pact on views of Wied Ghollieq from Swieqi. The photomontages have been published in the final version of the EIA for the Fort Cambridge hotel, a project proposed by the GAP Group. The latest photo- montages do not include the proposed Fortina development. Ironically photomonatages for the Fortina hotel do not include the Fort Cambridge hotel. In this way both projects seem to be us- ing the approved Townsquare as a pretext for more high rise in the area. The EIA deems the transforma- tion of the skyline as an inevitable consequence of Malta's economic model. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt MATTHEW VELLA THE former Labour MP Charles Buhagiar was handed a direct order by the Malta In- dustrial Parks after a public call for over €755,000 in project management services was cancelled. In 2016, MIP – the corporation responsible for industrial estates – issued a public call for project management services in the con- struction of a new industrial estate at Tal- Hofra in Xewkija, Gozo. The area is just opposite the Magro Foods processing plant, where some 15 business workshops will be constructed for SMEs across an area of over 5,355 square metres at an estimated cost of €16 million. The site is different from the Ta' Barmil land, which lies opposite the Xewkija cem- etery, where another direct order was award- ed for the construction of some 70 units for SMEs for an annual ground rent of €80,000. The public call for project management was awarded in February 2017 to the joint venture P8-1, whose lead contractor was de- sign firm EMDP of Mariello Spiteri, a full- time member of the Planning Authority's planning commission – a board which de- cides planning permits on a day-to-day basis. But in a recent PQ by Nationalist MP Chris Said, the minister for the economy Chris Cardona declared that the tender had been cancelled, citing the Contracts Department's general rules which allow cancellation of tenders on various criteria. Instead, the tender was never published again and awarded to Charles Buhagiar's Med Design Associates through a negotiated procedure – a direct order where the price is negotiated with the hand-picked supplier. Buhagiar is the chairman of the Building Industry Consultative Committee, a gov- ernment advisory council made up of the construction sector. He was a Labour MP from 1987 up until 2017, when he did not run for parliament again. Between 1996 and 1998 he served as minister for public works. Buhagiar's Med Design was involved in the construction of Labour's national headquar- ters in Hamrun. Former Labour MP gets Gozo industrial park job by direct order BICC chairman Charles Buhagiar How Sliema towers will break historical skylines and views Capital's skyline: the EIA coordinators insisted that a skyline was not a static feature of townscape but a dynamic component of urban development, "the form of which is determined by and may affect the political, economic, and social relationships" - in this case, the financial services industry