Mepa urged to set height limitations for Valletta, Mdina

Heritage and environment NGO Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar has welcomed the decision to reduce the height of the Drugs Court building and urged Mepa boards to ensure that the negative impact of the additional floors is reversed completely. 

The NGO said it was urging the authorities to take this opportunity to establish once and for all, building height limitations for Valletta, Floriana, Mdina and the Three Cities.

It said the MEPA Board must ensure that all existing policies and regulations are taken into account, especially when the Case Officer’s recommendation is being overturned.

"Significant funds and aggravation would be saved if suitable modelling of building projects were carried out and assessed during the decision-taking process."

It said it was concerned that the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage were not being consulted on all cases of a sensitive nature, especially in Valletta, Floriana, Mdina and the Three Cities.

Moreover site inspections by these bodies are essential to make a realistic assessment of the impact that proposed works are likely to have.  It should be made obligatory that in all sensitive urban conservation areas, the input of the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee and of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage was taken into account in the final decision. 

"If these measures were to be implemented, this regrettable case would at least have a positive outcome."