Mepa auditor asked to probe Mistra Village report

Din l-Art Ħelwa, the environment and heritage trust, has asked the Mepa's Audit Officer to review a report on the Mistra Village redevelopment application drawn up by the authority's Planning Directorate.

In particular, the Auditor was requested to look into how the conclusion was reached by Mepa that this application - for an elevated site in Xemxija - should be recommended for approval when the proposed building heights went against existing policies in the Local Plan.

DLĦ said the application proposes the building of around 1,000 new apartments in four massive blocks with stepped "boomerang" shapes, ranging from six to 16 storeys and reaching up to 55 metres in height.

The North West Local Plan policy NWSP 25 clearly states that the maximum building height that can be considered on this site, through the application of the Floor Area Ratio, was eight storeys, or at most only "slight departures" from this height.

In no way could 16 storeys be viewed as a "slight departure" from eight storeys, DLĦ said.

It added that the Environmental Impact Assessment conducted for the Mistra Village application clearly showed that the proposed building heights would have a major negative visual impact on the surrounding landscape.

Furthermore, the draft Floor Area Ratio policy of 2006 stated that elevated ground and ridges were deemed inappropriate for tall buildings as they would dominate the whole landscape when viewed from low-lying ground, and would have a deleterious impact on the skyline on a national scale, DLĦ said.