Sliema council likely to object to new plans

The Sliema local council is expected to object to new plans submitted for the controversial Qui-Si-Sana car-park project if they include a number of commercial premises.

Sliema councillor Martin Debono claimed the new plans include a three-storey atrium space, a fish restaurant, a gallery restaurant, an ice-cream parlour, a gymnasium and a bar, while 90 per cent of the area described as a "garden" was to be paved.

Speaking during a heated meeting of the council yesterday (picture), Mr Debono, an architect, referred to the fresh plans recently submitted by the developer as "disgusting".

He said the development was no longer a car park, as it was initially supposed to be, since all these establishments were included in the plan.

Mayor Albert Bonello Dupuis said if this was the case, the council would object to the plans. However, he pointed out that before taking any decisions, the rest of the council members would need to see the plans, and not rely on Mr Debono's word.

The council members agreed that council secretary Lino Bartolo would make an appointment for the council members to go to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and view the plans within the coming days.

Also discussed during yesterday's meeting was the Residents' Parking Zone plan for Sliema residents. The mayor said that during a meeting held last week at the Malta Transport Authority premises, the Qui-si-Sana car park developer had submitted proposals for this zone together with studies supporting these proposals.

However, in a letter which is being sent to Mepa chairman Andrew Calleja, and which was read out during the meeting, the mayor described the proposal as "very sketchy" and with "only some limited information". He expressed the council's view that what had been submitted by the developer was "significantly short of what was required in the development brief", adding this was unacceptable.

The mayor said the local council wanted the RPZ to operate efficiently and effectively, and the study should, therefore, be conducted as stipulated in the brief.

On the other hand, he said, the RPZ was of "paramount importance" to the local council as it would resolve the parking problems faced by residents. He stressed that the council would "strongly object" to any permit being issued until and unless the RPZ was properly defined in a manner that was acceptable to the council, which could only be achieved if the developer submitted the RPZ studies and proposal as required by the development brief.

He wrote the Mepa chairman that the Sliema council was "officially" requesting the authority to set a reasonable target date for the developer to submit what was required by the development brief, and for MEPA to refuse the application if this was not submitted by that date.

Mr Bonello Dupuis said the council was submitting a number of broad objectives for the RPZ scheme, including that residents and non-residents should not be charged for on-street parking, that residents should be given priority for on-street parking during peak hours and that day trippers should be encouraged to use off-street parking.

The objectives were approved by the majority of councillors present, who were given a week to add to them.