The Malta Environment and Planning Authority yesterday gave the go-ahead to an outline development application for Pender Gardens, a controversial high-rise residential and commercial complex that will change the face of the area adjacent to The Gardens, in St Julians.

Following a long drawn-out presentation, which took the best part of the afternoon, the Mepa board unanimously approved the development. It consists of a series of residential and commercial tower-blocks reaching 22 storeys and a car park for some 800 cars.

The complex will be developed by Penderville Consortium headed by Edmond Gatt Baldacchino.

It will replace the existing open air car-park known as Pender Place and a compound, located on the opposite side of the road, that previously included Maltacom facilities and Mercury House. The latter building will be retained and restored.

The project will include the retention of what are known as the Cold War vaults, located right under Mercury House and which were built before the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Towers on both sites will be connected by an overhead bridge spanning above St Andrews Road, the street right in front of Pender Place.

The final approved design is the result of a significant compromise over the original plan, which first had the high-rise buildings closer to The Gardens, a major point of contestation by residents.

The area between the towers and The Gardens will now be buffered by a row of villas and an open space followed by a series of five- to seven- storey high apartment blocks.

Similarly, the site adjacent to Mercury House will include landscaping and an open space, which will act as a public square.

The towers will be located on the outer rim of Pender Place and where Mercury House is situated.

Another significant alteration made yesterday has to do with the parking provision, which was reduced to some 800 spaces from 1,200.

In practice, this will mean that only two of four underground floors will be excavated in a significant section of the property adjacent to the gardens. The excavations were a major concern for residents who were and still are worried about the magnitude of the whole development.

In fact, despite the changes, the residents are still not happy and see the complex as the last chapter in a series of bad planning decisions, spanning several decades, which have conspired to place the country's entertainment Mecca in a peaceful residential zone.

Residents complained that the whole development will overpower - and as a consequence devalue - their property.

The owner of a small hotel said his property will be dwarfed. "Besides losing business while the complex is developed, my business will also suffer after it is completed," he said. "Is that fair?"

Architect Ray Vassallo, who is also a resident, complained that the size of the project would increase the problems the neighbourhood already has due to population density.

Moreover, he argued, the car park, even in its reduced form, would help attract more cars and traffic, increasing congestion and pollution.

Earlier during the sitting he had argued that The Gardens already faced severe problems related to vehicle emissions given that it is located right next to Regional Road, a main artery.

"We obviously don't have Mepa's infrastructure but we estimate that one in every two households here has a person who suffers from respiratory problems or cancer of some sort, as a consequence of the pollution," Mr Vassallo said.

The residents had pushed for the removal of parking spaces that were unrelated to the immediate use of the project, however, the board sought a compromise, which was actually suggested by the developers.

The exact height and design specifications of the project will be finalised once the full development application is processed.

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