Juan Ameen
Tigné tower plan tumbles down
Plans to build a high-rise tower at Tigné Point have been scrapped, The Times can reveal.
Instead, the tower, which was proposed by real estate developer Midi and opposed by Sliema residents, will be replaced by open landscaped space.
The consortium, which owns the multimillion euro project in Sliema, has withdrawn its planning application to amend the Tigné north master plan.
Sliema residents and those who registered a formal objection to the development application have been told about the change in plans in a letter from the planning authority.
“The planning authority has been notified by the applicant of the withdrawal of the application, which was intended to amend the Tigné north master plan,” the letter said.
The application was to increase the maximum volume of floor space and height that had been approved in the outline development permit. This called for an update of the environment impact reports. “The update was in fact initiated and related to the visual assessment and effects on visual amenity and air quality. Now that the application has been withdrawn, these studies are no longer required,” the letter explained.
It added that the developers would be revising and making new submissions to the applications for the other blocks in the development and would be replacing the proposed high-rise tower structure with an open landscaped area.”
Midi CEO Ben Muscat explained that the company had been “planning to shift” approved floor space from another phase of the project to the tower but “this proved complicated and the board decided not to pursue this issue any more”.
All the changes to the other blocks in the Midi project were being made in conformity with approved permits and there would be no increase in the other blocks, he said.
When asked whether Midi was considering replacing the tower, Mr Muscat said there would not be any other high-rise structure. The Tigné Point project is expected to be fully completed by 2014.
The move to scrap the tower was welcomed by the Sliema Residents Association, saying it is a positive outcome for the area “given the existing stress of traffic, parking and services, not to mention pollution and crowding”.
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Astrid Vella
Nov 3rd 2011, 18:08
@ Mr. Jurgen Grech: It's true that Malta is densely populated, but with over 76,000 empty buildings, why should we build up rather than first occupying the existing buildings.
The style of buildings that you describe - tall buildings surrounded by landscaping, is the what is set out in MEPA's Floor Area Ratio (FAR) scheme which enabled Portomaso, Fort Cambridge and the Addolorata towers to get their permits. But the ironic thing is that the FAR scheme was developed in the Far East to create attractive social houses in areas where housing was lacking. Does that sound like Malta? Instead here it was manipulated to provide luxury accommodation for the super-rich! And even the landscaped areas around the development are not guaranteed - look at ever-encroaching Portomaso!
Two years ago MEPA brought over a foreign consultant from Chicago to recommend on tall buildings. He came full of enthusiasm to introduce tall buildings to Malta, but one month later he concluded otherwise. One of the main concerns is that in a country where not even 6 flat owners can get along without disputes, how can we expect 20-30 families to make it work? There is also the problem of heat canyons, wind funnels and eventual demolitions in such densely built-up areas. Those are just a few of the many reasons that led him to conclude that are NOT SUITED to Malta's planning and social context.
Pamela Hansen
Nov 3rd 2011, 17:38
Too little too late. That part of our coastline is ruined and is completely out of synch with the Valletta bastions on the other side of the M'xetto harbour. Planners should have stuck to how Sliema was built originally with the taller buildings at the back.
Ray Mangion
Nov 3rd 2011, 13:08
Good. We don`t want anymore eyesores on this island.
Joe Fenech
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:20
A COUNTRY WITH NO VISION, NO ACCOUNTABILITY, FULL OF CORRUPTION , WITH NO SOUL....which countries do you compare with? Definitely not Western ones!
joseph saliba
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:31
Mr Fenech please help us.
Joe Vella
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:41
Joe Fenech, all we here from the Gloom and doom crowd is that corruption is rampant in Malta. And yet, every time the PL is trusted to Govern every commission APPOINTED BY THE SAME PL to investigate the alleged corruption under the PN ALWAYS COMES UP EMPTY HANDED. Grow up, will you.
Joe Fenech
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:55
Joe Vella, see my other contributions. Did I ever say PL was the solution? NO !
Grow up? I'm probably much older than you and have moved around all Europe and travelled. All I can say is that Malta funcitons on the same political model as Africa!
Joe Vella
Nov 3rd 2011, 12:35
I was replying to the above post not to the ones below. The content in the above post is the same song and dance that we here from the Gloom and Doom Crowd. If you have moved all around Europe, I am not quite sure where you get your impression that Malta functions on the same political model as Africa. Unless you have moved around Africa as well and forget to mention. Mr. Fenech, I can guarantee you that I not only grew up in age, but also as a human being. If you moved around Europe, I emigrated at the age of 18, and had no choice to grow up and see things from a different perspective.
One more thing if you as you are implying there are corruption, I am sure that you have first hand knowledge of it, your moving around Europe should have thought that the right thing to do is to go report same to the Police.
W Cassar
Nov 3rd 2011, 12:39
@ Joe
I wouldn't say like Africa, more like a small island where everyone knows everyone, and if you are in politics you make sure your family relations are on the gravy train too. I presume its like this for every small island nation.
Joe Fenech
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:18
GET THE NEW RIGHT IN AND GET RID OF THESE TWO IDIOTIC PARTIES THAT HAVE RUINED THE COUNTRY. Labour will not be any better. There are starved wolves waiting to jump and grab... Don't fool yourselves!
Joe Fenech
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:13
Our lemon head politicians should get a ferry and go and have a look at Siciliy and the south of Italy (unless they want to venutre further to Provence and other places): GO AND SEE THE BEAUTY!
The Sicilian mafia preserves their country. The Maltese destroys it.
Il-Gahan Malti miskin...
joseph saliba
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:25
Don't believe it was the politicians. Speculators, landowners, architects and us (some/many times pressing politicians to help with the permit and bringing skies down if denied).
Alex Falzon
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:37
100% right.
Both parties ruined the country's natural beauty. Just last week an approval was given to build 30 apartments in a 250 year old garden in ghaxaq. Simply disgraceful
Charles Cremona
Nov 3rd 2011, 10:27
The real reason this project was scrapped is because the developers know that the real estate market in Malta is in the doldrums with not much prospect of recovery in the near future, therefore, they see very little point in adding more appartments to the thousands already built and lying empty. The days of making millions on such projects are over, indeed, property prices are only going in one direction at present and that is down. These overpriced properties would have been aimed at foreign buyers who can now buy far superior properties in other locationas such as Spain, Portugal,Cyprus etc for far less money then they would have to pay in overpriced, congested Sliema.
J.C. Borg
Nov 3rd 2011, 10:38
Mr Cremona - You seem to know more than the 'developers'. Personally I believe THEM.
George Azzopardi
Nov 3rd 2011, 10:39
right!
joseph saliba
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:27
That's how it works. Nothing ubnormal.
Mr Tony Gatt
Nov 3rd 2011, 13:38
@ Charles Cremona,
Not everyone has got the message- besides Ta' Monita, there are ever more developments going up in Marsascala.
Mr Jurgen Grech
Nov 3rd 2011, 10:26
I cannot honestly understand how high rise buildings are described as eye sores by most of you grumbling lot! You know what an eyesore is? Driving towards Marsa from Santa Venera tunnels, and as soon as you're up the fly over, just look far in the distance to notice a 2 or 3 storey high concrete jungle! If one could condense all those building into 20 storey high, well designed blocks, we would have much more free space and green area! Not to mention that ugly roof services would not be visible from street level! I live in Zabbar and the view from the top of my roof is a nightmare! Aerials, satellite dishes, canopies, wires, water tanks, you mention it! It is also stupid...yes, just mere stupid, to limit height of buildings in a land which is not flat! There's so much dis-levelling in Malta that my two storey high town house could still block the "view" of your 4 storey block just 20 metres down the road!!
Helen Caruana Galizia
Nov 3rd 2011, 10:25
Malta is not Hong Kong Mr Consiglio. It is a Mediterranean island and looked beautiful with appropriate architecture until the greedy developers got the go-ahead from successive governments. In any case why should the views of Sliema residents be disregarded? To say nothing of the fact that the only benefit of building in Malta is for the speculators. Think again.
Mr Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Nov 3rd 2011, 10:54
Spot on. In the seventies and eighties, I use to make a point of walking along Tower Road almost every day of my stay in Malta. Today, I hardly bother. It is boring. I have also visited apartments in the area. They look more like live-in coffins. In one apartment which was on the top floor, the owner had to turn on the lights in the kitchen (which, incidentally was next top a light well) at midday. Yes, midday not midnight. What great and imaginative developers you have on the little island!
Joe Fenech
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:12
Mr Chetcuti: SPOT ON !
Victor Vella
Nov 3rd 2011, 10:23
Modern slums punto e basta,
Phil Humphries
Nov 3rd 2011, 10:09
Its just a pity the rest of it got planning permission ! - Shame on those who approved this eyesore.
D. A . Agius
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:55
Yeah... definitely not an action in the interest of the environment, but rather a business decision that since the market is going to the dogs, better not continue stretching credit.
Paul Pace
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:47
I wish Pender Place does the same with the twin towers.
Walk along Zammit Elia Street and have a look at the high building of the business centre in such a narrow street . Keep on walking Dragonara Road to see an other scandal. Shame on MEPA!
Mr christine Formosa
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:42
i would have preferred seeing one tall building and landscaped open spaces around it rather than a monotonous continuous stretch of tall buildings all the same height along the front blocking all the views behind. Density and traffic remain the same.
Jonathan Grech
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:40
Tigne was one of the best places in malta i spent my childhood there now its a concrete freak show the chapple is being used as offices how low can you go.Sliema is over crowded and i dont think that a project of that magnitude helped the area.Plus before we used to go swimming there now you cant cause they tore down the bridge and never rebuild it so that a few can enjoy the area.And they say that you cant do that but..............................
Gustav Svensson
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:40
Well the real estate bubble is about to burst big time! Totally expected, compare maltese wages vs property prices....and quality of infrastructure, pollution etc what a joke!!
Adrian Gatt
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:33
This is a positive outcome for all Sliema Residents and for towns around. Finally it seems that the developers have seen some sense. We hope that this reasoning will finally topple the mentality by developers re high rise buildings in Malta. As can be seen this crazy building boom has saturated the market but unfortunately in the process it has ruined the Maltese skyline and village cores and stressed the residents . Lets hope that this proposed open plan will remain ad eternum for all to enjoy. Though building MIGHT be good for the economy, the leaders of Malta have to keep in mind that running a country is not all about money but about social justice as well. MEPA has to change its role to become a REAL town planner and abide by its own mission statement.
Visit www.sra.org.mt to see what SRA stands for. We need more residents to be active. This passivity is killing us.
Mr John Borg
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:41
Poor, naive Mr Gatt. Developer see some sense? Surely even you can see that this is only temporary until Midi get the cash to build it and until the property market springs back to life!
j brincat
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:32
How ideal is the current situation to add more property on the market?
(jb)
Paul Cassar
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:29
IT WAS SCRAPPED BECAUSE OF A NEGATIVE MARKET SITUATION........................so let's not run away with
the idea that MIDI has suddenly become environment friendly.
LOOKING AT TIGNE FROM VALLETTA...........as repeatedly the Times has given photos................shows clearly
that TIGNE FRONT HAS BEEN RAPED FOREVER.
Joe Fenech
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:22
WHY DO YOU WANT TO TURN MALTA INTO A HONK KONG????????? Well done for once...although I don't think ecology decided rather than lack of investments...
Karl Consiglio
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:47
well Malta's space is limited, so it makes sense to build up, so as not to take more space.
Karl Consiglio
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:48
And what you got against Hong Kong anyway? It looks lovely.
Mr Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Nov 3rd 2011, 10:46
At least someone is making sense. Malta is already overpopulated. High rise building does nothing to the environment and ruins Malta's landscape. If tourists want to see a Hong Kong, they will go to Hong Kong. The last thing they want to see if a pale imitation that Sliema is turning into.
Joe Fenech
Nov 3rd 2011, 11:15
Mr Chetcui...well Malta is already a pale imiation of the WORST parts of Ibiza. It has become nightclub island but without any charm!
Mr John Borg
Nov 3rd 2011, 09:22
Don't worry Sliema residents, once Midi gets enough cash to build it and once the property market booms again you will quickly see the garden go and the tower sprout
victor bonello
Nov 3rd 2011, 10:48
lol... exactly my thought.. Banana Republic..haha
Adrian E. Camilleri
Nov 3rd 2011, 08:38
Very positive development for Sliema, and Malta in general!