The height of a proposed tower on the Union Club grounds in Sliema has been yo-yoing up and down and the latest plans show it has now peaked at 33 floors.
The developer, Michael Soler, had originally proposed a 32-storey tower that was then reduced to 23 – a height that was still met with reservations from the planning authority’s environment unit.
But revised plans submitted last August for the massive development, which includes other buildings, have taken the central tower’s floors back up to the original proposal, plus an additional floor.
The site for the proposed development lies between Tower Road and Qui-Si-Sana, and borders Tigné and Hughes Hallet streets.
The plans propose the rehabilitation of the protected Villa Drago and its gardens.
The Environment Protection Directorate assessed the revised plans for a development that includes a shopping hall, 181 apartments, nearly 5,000 square metres of office space, more than 9,000 square metres of retail area, and an underground car park with sufficient room for between 700 and 800 vehicles.
The new plans have reduced the space allocated to residential units and offices but increased the retail area allocation and the height of the central tower.
The building would have an impact on air quality in an area already facing high traffic density, with the directorate’s assessment noting that the annual average daily traffic from the project would be 27,337 vehicles.
The assessment also states that during excavation occurring at the periphery of the site, vibration would be disturbing in some cases – an impact of major significance.
It also states that the expected impact on Villa Drago is “not significant” and its restoration would be a benefit.
27,337
– the annual average daily traffic from the project
The villa has been protected as a Grade 1 monument for the past nine years.
The visual impact of the proposed development would affect Manoel Island and the Valletta landing ferry, according to the assessment.
In terms of the shadows that could be created, the directorate notes that the public open spaces along Qui-Si-Sana, including the rocky foreshore, are already affected by shadows from the buildings along the seafront.
The proposed development would extend this impact further over the sea and will also affect additional areas of the rocky shore at noon as there would no longer be any patches of sunshine.
It is also noted in the assessment that residents generally oppose this project because such a sizable development is not required in the area.
Their views are based on what they are already experiencing due to other construction developments currently in the vicinity.
The EPD, in fact, notes that the social impact on the area is a negative one.
While the EPD is usually unequivocal in its recommendations on whether a project should go ahead, this assessment ended with a statement that its proposed conditions were “without prejudice” to any other considerations by the planning directorate or any other stakeholder.
The plans are open for consultation before going before the planning authority.