Mepa U-turn on Fort Cambridge

The pendulum swumg again against the controversial Fort Cambridge development in Tignè yesterday when the Malta Environment and Planning Authority board put off its decision on the project and suggested that the developer reduce the height from 23 to 16 floors.

Everything appeared lined up for an approval at yesterday's sitting, following a favourable presentation by the Planning Directorate but one of the board members, Joe Farrugia, immediately took issue with the visual impact of the project, describing the proposed height of 23 floors as "unacceptable".

"It's preponderant, too bulky and too big," he said of the development, whose towers, growing progressively higher, jut skywards over the Tignè peninsula.

He eventually moved a motion, approved 5-3, suggesting essentially that the developer goes back to the drawing board to present a fresh proposal for 16 rather than 23 floors.

The development brief for the project was actually for 16 floors and the original proposal respected this limitation. But following complaints by some neighbouring residents, the authority's own Planning Directorate suggested that the footprint of the project should be reduced and the height increased. The idea was to allow more open space in the area while keeping the same volume of apartments.

The developers, GAP Developments, complied and were given an outline permit last March. However, Mr Farrugia commented yesterday that while benefitting some people who lived nearby, the compromise negatively affected the view from Valletta. "It's just not acceptable," he insisted.

The project's architect, Alex Torpiano, reacted with bafflement. "I'm perplexed," he said when asked for his comment by the chairman. "The board decided that that project should have 23 floors a year ago, so I cannot understand how we're debating this today... It seems to me that presenting you with what we had already proposed just means that we have wasted a year."

Mr Farrugia - who was not on the board when the outline was approved - insisted that the visual impact of the project, which is one of the elements that the board had to decide upon yesterday, had to include the height of the project. However, Mr Torpiano rebutted that the height had already been decided and "visual impact" referred to the façade and similar cosmetic elements.

The issue with the height, however, was central even in the comments of the objectors, especially because the development brief - which is a legal document - had set a 16-floor limit.

One of objectors, lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace, warned the board that should they approve the project with 23 floors they would be breaching the law. "You've been warned," he said, "if you approve this project with 23 floors we will hold you personally responsible for negligence."

Up to the point when Mepa approved the outline permit last year, everything was looking up for the project. However, the authority's decision to waive the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the 341-appartment project haunted the development after the European Commission announced it could issue infringement proceedings against the government for failure to abide by EU legislation on EIAs.

In October, the authority eventually demanded one, even if it denied that the pressure from Brussels had anything to do with its decision. In the meantime, the company had already started advertising its apartments for sale and even made a €35 million bond issue, which was over-subscribed by some €3 million.

The project, along with that of a massive development in Mistra, which was decided upon yesterday, will probably be the last such controversial mega-development presided over by the present Mepa chairman Andrew Calleja, who on Wednesday announced his resignation, effective June 13.