Some 400 years after the Knights of St John erected 30 watch towers to protect our islands from invading forces, our nation is about to embark on another exercise of tower building but this time each tower will be about 20 times higher or should I say taller.
I have over the years often thought about how we could best protect our environment and safeguard what remains of our cultural heritage when the inevitable happens and high-rise buildings start to make their mark.
From what I read, it would seem that the majority of these gigantic buildings will be sited in the Sliema/St Julian’s/Paceville area and Mrieħel. It was encouraging to note that the Prime Minister recently announced that a master plan for Paceville is being prepared (why not one for all the country?) and, until such time as this is published, the Planning Authority will not issue any permits.
I cannot for a minute fathom how this already congested and heavily populated area of Malta could possibly accommodate all these skyscrapers unless vehicular access is dramatically enlarged and improved. Without a new road network, gridlock will be inevitable. These structures will pollute the environment in one way or another and could even threaten the economic viability of these same buildings.
A back-of-envelope calculation tells me that we could here be talking of an investment of anything between €3-5 billion and so, for the sake of all the stakeholders, we need to get this one right.
Could I, albeit at this late stage, propose a radical alternative?
Why don’t we create a new high-rise city (inevitably in an ODZ zone) that would cater exclusively for (non-residential) high-rise office/commercial buildings.? This city would be served by new infrastructure, new roads, new sewers etc. and if it is close to the sea it could also be served by sea transport to lessen vehicular traffic.
If we opt for such an alternative, we shall perhaps mitigate the traffic nightmare that will, undoubtedly, be caused by having all of these towers in the Sliema/St Julian’s area. With this option, Sliema/St Julian’s will continue to cater for residential buildings and hotels built up to a maximum of 10-12 floors.
Our skyline also has a unique heritage value and this could well be destroyed forever if we allow crops of skyscrapers to be constructed here and there. This is why a national masterplan should be made available for discussion and consideration before we risk destroying what is irreplaceable and priceless.