Representatives of the Sliema local council and environmental NGO Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) this morning voiced their concerns at MEPA’s decision allowing the demolition of a series of six neighbouring townhouses to build apartments and underlying garages.
FAA spokesperson Astrid Vella questioned the transparency of the MEPA board, that approved the demolition of the houses – situated on Milner and Howard Street in Sliema - after the authority's Heritage Advisory Committee (HAC) advised against it.
She explained how the project application had initially been rejected by MEPA because the houses were within the urban conservation area (UCA). However, when the local plans were issued, the houses were withdrawn from the UCA even to the astonishment of MEPA's HAC that said in its minutes “the committee thought it was strange that the zone where the buildings lie was withdrawn from the UCA”.
Ms Vella explained that the developer filed a second MEPA application, now that the buildings were cleared from the UCA, and the project was approved.
“This rings alarm bells,” she said as she insisted that a heritage building need not be in the UCA to be protected.
She added that, according to regulations on heritage protection, grade two buildings (as these buildings were) would only be subject to sensitive alterations in-keeping with the character of the building.
Demolition, she pointed out, was far from “sensitive”.
Ms Vella also stressed that the approval of the project was not subject to energy efficiency regulations and climate change safeguards as requested by law. When she asked the DCC chairman about such regulations, she was told that energy efficiency tests would be assessed after construction.
“This is a mockery and clear infringement of EU regulations,” she said.
She stressed that FAA was not against development as such but it opposed anything that broke the law. Local councillors present said that they unanimously voted against the development. Michael Briguglio said that the local council was a registered objector and were considering appealing the MEPA decision.