Andrew Ganado, director and shareholder of Townsquare Sliema Ltd, in an opinion piece in Times of Malta today explains the developer's points of view in planning the Sliema tower and rebuts arguments made by Prof Victor Axiak, chairman of the Environment Authority.
A day before the Townsquare permit was approved on August 4, Victor Axiak, chairman of the Environment and Resources Authority, sent a memorandum to Planning Authority board member Timmy Gambin. The document was made public last week.
Axiak explains that his objections are not specifically related to the Townsquare application but to the floor-area-ratio policy itself and refers to any environment impact assessment carried out for any high-rise building as a “sham” unless it takes into account future high-rise buildings, even those that have “not yet been officially approved, nor considered”.
The FAR policy was originally established in 2006 and was revised and approved in 2014 by the PA board, including the delegates of the two main political parties.
Furthermore, Axiak writes that “while within the legal EIA framework, the Townsquare consultants were correct in their assessments (since the Fort Cambridge high-rise has not yet been officially approved, nor considered), their conclusions on impacts are a sham, since such conclusions do not take into account the likely presence of Fort Cambridge high-rise in the vicinity.
In other words, the EIA approach on a case-by-case basis (even if correctly applied as required by the relevant EIA directive) fails to correctly assess the likely impacts on the presence of a number of high-rise projects in a particular area”.
Axiak concludes: “I also understand that ERA (formerly EPD) was involved in the EIA process for both developments under discussion. It certified that the EIA process, as adopted and applied in both cases, was generally correct. However, this is not in question.”
On the one hand, Axiak clearly confirms that Townsquare’s studies were “within the legal EIA framework”, that the “Townsquare consultants were correct in their assessments” and that ERA certified “that the EIA process as adopted and applied… was generally correct”.
Yet on the other hand, he believes that any EIA for any high-rise project should take into account all future high-rise projects in the vicinity, even those that have “not been officially approved, nor considered”.
I would like to assure all the residents of the immediate area to Townsquare that we will listen to their concerns
I fully respect Axiak’s right to his professional opinion on the FAR policy in general, but Townsquare and its consultants can only abide by the current FAR policy (as Axiak confirms is the case) and EIA regulations. Lacking a crystal ball, Townsquare Sliema Ltd could obviously only prepare the complex EIA studies based on existing actual buildings and potential new buildings where a planning application had been made up to the time of submission in 2015 and not on what may, or may not, exist in the future.
Most of the media covered every opposition to this project and encouraged every effort by NGOs to put across criticism without looking at the facts and benefits of the project.
The option of building high-rises has many more benefits to the area and residents surrounding Townsquare.
We could have opted for the traditional 26 blocks of nine storeys each, side-by-side, with no pedestrian space, as is the case in virtually all of Sliema.
Instead, we opted for an open area of 7,300 square metres of landscaped pedestrian space almost the size of Independence Gardens in Sliema. We will also be restoring the iconic Villa Drago and its gardens.
It is to our credit as serious and experienced developers that we are creating a huge area for the public to enjoy 24/7, a benefit not created by any other private development in Sliema, where land is at a high premium.
There will be 159 apartments instead of the 240 apartments allowed by today’s planning policy for the traditional development.
It is to our credit as serious and experienced developers that we are creating a huge area for the public to enjoy 24/7, a benefit not created by any other private development in Sliema, where land is at a high premium.
The option of a high-rise will create wide and open spaces behind Hughes Hallet, Qui-Si-Sana and some of Tigné Street’s existing blocks.
Regarding the construction process, a high-rise is much faster to build and complete. As construction goes up, it will go further and further away from present residences, and there will not be any closures or cranes in any of the surrounding roads.
Additionally, we will be strictly following mitigation measures to minimise disturbance.
There will be no excavation before 7.30am, the site will be water sprayed to minimise dust, trucks’ wheels will be cleaned before exiting the site via the Sliema seafront and, importantly, all the neighbours’ property will be professionally surveyed prior to construction, and any damage will be repaired at our expense.
Finally, I would like to assure all the residents of the immediate area to Townsquare that we will listen to their concerns. In fact, to this end, within the next couple of weeks, we will be setting up a communications office next to the Union Club to be able to explain the facts about our project.