Tower crane is expected to block High Street for months

A permit granted to the Sliema multi-storey car park owners to build another two floors is expected to block High Street for months with another tower crane.

Residents are lobbying for the crane to go on a vacant piece of land along the road, rather than blocking access for months.

They insist closing off the road completely should not be an option and that the Sliema council, which is considering an application by the contractor, should take the best decision in residents’ interests.

The residents said closing the road from the car park exit would create a “chaotic situation” with cars trying to reach lower High Street through Għar II-Lembi Street, which currently operates a one-way traffic system.

Traffic on Tower Road would also be impacted, as would High Street itself, with cars trying to access the car park through the narrow street meeting vehicles exiting the parking area.

They insisted the crane would cause unnecessary hardship for shops and block access for any emergency, grocery or waste collection services.

The residents said the council should insist the contractor sets up the tower crane further along the road, where the vacant Regina Hotel once stood.

They also proposed placing the crane on Gaiety Lane, near the Tagliaferro Business Centre. The council will charge the contractor just €2 a day if the tower crane blocks High Street, residents said. The council said if the contractor is granted permission, the road will “only” be closed for six months, not 18 months as residents are claiming.

It said no permit had been issued and none would be granted without further consultation with residents.

It confirmed various meetings had taken place over the past week involving the council, Transport Malta, the developer, and the project architect to find a solution.

The council encouraged the developer to use the vacant private property but the developer and the property’s owner failed to reach an agreement.

“The council will be putting forward a proposal to residents that will allow full access to their garages and entrances to their apartments through an alternative traffic arrangement, which will only allow access to residents,” a spokesman said.

Sliema council will also insist the crane is not operated over the roofs of any residences or over the walkway. Another tower crane has been stationed just metres away – in St Paul Street – for several months.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority is currently considering a series of other applications for internal alterations, which would lead to an increase in parking spaces.