NGOs criticise Mepa over approval of Tigne north blocks
Mepa cannot still be assessing projects of a certain magnitude on the basis of a development brief and an environment impact assessment drawn up in 1999, the Sliema Residents' Association and Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar said in a statement.
The two organisations referred to Mepa's approval yesterday of the Tigne North plans to build three more blocks, two rising to 14 storeys, comprising a further 102 apartments, as well as shops and offices.
The social, economic and environment scene has changed completely since 1999, when the EIA was drawn up, they said.
They asked why these high rise apartment blocks were being approved when: the Mepa policy on high rise development in the Maltese Islands had not been properly ratified, the 1992 local plan had warned against the building of more apartment blocks because Sliema was already over-congested, the 2005 census showed that there were already 4,500 empty apartments in the area and the IMF warned Malta that its over-dependence on development was affecting the banking sector.
"The impact of this foregone conclusion to this application is to greatly increase the population in this highly visible location and to place more stress on the local infrastructure - roads, drains, power supplies, etc.
"Yet Mepa's Environment Protection Division only requested an updated visual impact study, which reported the impact to Sliema and Valletta residents as major impact, but went on to recommend approval."
The NGOs asked why the Environment Protection Division ignored air quality, shading and social impact studies, when it had imposed such studies on other projects in the area.
"There seems to be no concept that an environment impact assessment is not intended to block construction but to identify the best options.
"Tigne North' has been a prime example of poor consultation and procedure. The visual impact study claims that no representations from objectors were received by Mepa – yet Mepa itself acknowledged these objectors."
The NGOs said that EIS documents online were practically inaccessible while traffic impact studies updated in 2010 - before all Tower Road traffic was deviated towards the MIDI project - had not been made available to the public.
They said the public hearing scheduled for December 2, did not meet legal requirements since it was advertised as being held from 3 to 5 p.m., but when residents turned up at 4 p.m. Mepa officials had already left.
"The price of property is falling yet still more is being added to the stock – to the detriment of Malta, the financial well-being of the island and that of our banking system.
"Mepa has betrayed its mission statement to ensure a quality of life that will be in harmony with the natural, cultural and built environment – in this hearing it was as if Mepa reform had never happened," the NGOs said.
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Tony Sciberras
Jan 21st, 09:20
Election time. anything goes. so much for policies.
A tabone
Jan 20th, 18:21
@ Mario Spiteri and others who talk of thousands of empty properties
you are right of course, there are 1000s of vacant properties all over the island and many of these are stuck and will not sell in the foreseeable future unless prices are slashed. Many are old and derelict or abandoned and others are mainly recently built cubby-hole blocks in less desirable areas on the outskirts of towns and villages - but i can assure you these are not at Tigne point . On the contrary, the developers in this case have sold - with contract signed, paid in full, not just konvenju - everything they have completed so far except for a handful of flats in the last block. This is the same for Portomaso and a couple of smaller good modern developments in the area. Any agent will confirm this and so will public records which are easily checked. So if you are looking for white elephants I suggest you look elsewhere.
Mr Tony Gatt
Jan 21st, 09:15
You know what they say about suckers- there's one born every minute. Wait until these chicken-coops come up for resale.
Mario Spiteri
Jan 21st, 16:46
A Tabone: you are obviously involved in this business and have every interest in overlooking certain realities: the MIDI apartments may have sold but many are being advertised for re-sale and not fetching the requested prices and selling at a loss - just look at some expat blog sites to confirm this.
Secondly you speak as if MIDI exists in a vacuum, and not on the tip of the densest town in Malta as regards buildings. There is no need for more vacant buildings in the area, and the extra traffic being generated by these projects are causing very real problems of air pollution which are making residents very sick - remember air pollution causes not only asthma but also heart problems and cancer - no wonder the government refuses to release numbers on these sicknesses!
Service providers to Sliema and St Julian's are already struggling to keep up adequate services to the community there and Sliema Ferries is currently ripped up to provide new water and drain pipes. And guess who's paying? You and me, mate, not Uncle Bertie who's hard-pressed to pay an honest rent. Why should the tax-payer be upgrading services because a magnate wangled land for a song from an obliging politician? Public land that we can't even enter any more!
Furthermore there have been complains and well-publicised law suits vis-a'-vis shoddy workmanship in flats at MIDI . The project did not attract public funding, and a substantial part of a historical penninsula has been lost for ever to private pockets when other properties, which as you say many old houses derelict instead of being taken in hand by developers who instead are allowed to build up virgin land!
So much for MEPA reform! Tell it to the Marines!
Steve Zammit
Jan 20th, 15:09
Thank you MEPA and developers, you have turned this rock into a concrete jungle
Henry Samut
Jan 20th, 15:03
I think building more flats is an excellent idea -particularly in Tigne'. I do hope it goes through!
What baffles me is that with so many vacant properties, how come prices do not tumble?
Mario Spiteri
Jan 20th, 17:24
Henry, can you tell us exactly why you think it's such a good idea to build more flats in Tigne when they have been saying that there are 4,500 empty housing units, mostly flats, in this area. And some 76,000 empty units all over Malta, again mostly flats. Who do you think is going to buy them all? Especially since in a few years our population is going to start to decline and foreign buyers are mostly staying away because of the glut on the market.
Maybe you're thinking the illegal Immigrants they are going to afford flats at Tigne Point?
Henry Samut
Jan 20th, 17:44
Hi Mario
Over supply and short demand as you kindly explained should restraint the price of new flat to rocket unrealistically.... thus benefitting buyers!
New property is always better than old houses....
Mario Spiteri
Jan 20th, 17:57
Henry Samut: Right, very intelligent. I see you are a keen promoter of sustainability. So we are to abandon old houses, leave them as collapsing shells, while we cover every inch of our islands with new flats to please developers and short-sighted, ill-informed people like you!
And what about the cost to the tax-payer of all these extra services to the empty flats, as much as nine times the size of B'Kara, it was reported. And the floods because all the land is built over. The lack of adequate drains and water pressure. Have you thought of that? Indeed have you thought of anything at all other than your own pocket?
Victor Pulis
Jan 20th, 15:02
Money is the root of all.
Jeffrey Mallia
Jan 20th, 13:47
Ghaliex gejja l'elezzjoni.......xejn ma jsir b'kumbinazzjoni......
Mario Spiteri
Jan 20th, 13:42
Where is Din l-Art Helwa in all this? Why were they not at MEPA alongside these two groups? What are we paying our membership fees for? It’s not enough to publish books on walks around villages when those villages won’t be worth visiting any more!
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Jan 20th, 17:25
Unfortunately Din L-Art Helwa does not seem keen to join in with the other NGOs. The most discordant case was when DLH even approved the Piano project. Of course, the Chairlady of DLH at that time, later became director of MEPA's Environment Protection Directorate- by direct order of the PM. Maybe that explains the silence of DLH in certain cases?
Patrick Pace
Jan 20th, 13:14
So the solution for the future our `white elephant` MEPA is sanctioning is to have blocks of 50 apartments where the residents will be stacked like glorified chickens that are bred for slaughtering. Yes Sliema/Tigne is a great place but slowly and surely the character of this town will be changed forever and the investment will result in the slums we will have in 50 years time.
Cottonera too was considered a great place to live in decades ago yet in the 50s/60s it sank into decadence that took decades to initially reverse. We are doing the same mistake all over again in Sliema/Tigne/St julians. So much for building a proper future for our kids.
Meanwhile the government and MEPA has even started to study a solution to the thousands of unutilised housing units all over the island and are effectively worsening the situation to appease a few developers and help them make a fast buck, or worse, put themselves in a position where they will be stuck with property they cannot sell.
What a shambles....
Joe Spiteri
Jan 20th, 13:08
Public hearings for what ? This project will still go ahead as planned, no matter what. Il-huta z-zghira qatt ma' belghet lill-kbira!
VINCENT WILLIAMS
Jan 20th, 12:43
When in Opposition PN used to criticize left, right and centre the new building that was being erected during the Labour administrations. We used to read in the PN newspapers and listen PN speakers during the mass meetings harsh criticism about "the new buildings everywhere" and how " when on an aircraft coming down one could only see white buildings all over Malta. "
Surely there where abuses during Labour administrations. But facts show that the abuses of new buildings under PN administrations are worst and worst than it used to be under any Labour governments. One has only to remember how during the last election campaign various buildings permits which where not authorized by MEPA where issued to catch votes.
Joseph Calleja
Jan 20th, 12:30
Haven't you heard that money talks and bullshit walks? With money you can build a road in the sky.
Helen Caruana Galizia
Jan 20th, 12:18
This action of MEPA's is shameful. There is time yet for this project to be thrown in the sea. Our islands have been prostituted for nearly 50 years (in this phase of prostitution - there have been others). The Prime Minister cannot allow this to happen to the Maltese people.
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Jan 20th, 14:37
My dear Mrs Caruana Galizia, the PM has been the main sponsor of this form of prostitution - don't you know that he is responsible for MEPA? Haven't you seen how he looks the other way while Malta is raped and plundered by the contractors?
Joseph Calleja
Jan 20th, 17:23
Ms Caruana Galizia like you say, the government has been raping and prostituting this country blind when it comes to open spaces and they use MEPA to do the dirty work when it benefits them. It is becoming very obvious that the government is selling open spaces like a pimp sells his prostitutes. Money, Money, Money.
D. A . Agius
Jan 20th, 12:13
"The price of property is falling yet still more is being added to the stock – to the detriment of Malta, the financial well-being of the island and that of our banking system."
I guess banks are the ones backing these projects. Let them dig their own hole.
Jay Oatmon
Jan 20th, 12:01
And no one will be fired for incompetence, nor will they be investigated for possibly taking kickbacks - its all one big happy family - except the general public will suffer.