Alternattiva Demokratika and NGOs have criticised a decision taken by Mepa this morning to grant a permit for the building of shops and some 100 overlying apartments on the Forestals site at the Sliema Strand.
Michael Briguglio, AD chairman and Sliema councillor, said that Mepa totally disregarded the appeal by AD, Sliema local council and NGOs for an environment impact assessment.
"Mepa once again took a selective and apologetic approach and ignored the cumulative impact of the development in terms of traffic, pollution, congestion and other factors"."
He insisted that the environment is a political issue.
"We have the MEPA we deserve, but we can change things through our vote".
He noted that the PN and PL representatives on the MEPA board voted in favour of the development.
The Mepa decision was taken after a three-hour board meeting. The developers delivered a presentation on the project. The Mepa major projects unit backed the project in terms of height limitations, which allow eight storeys in the area.
Objectors argued that the development would actually rise to a height equivalent to 10 storeys because of conjoined ground and first floors for commercial use.
The unit's officials dismissed objections about building density, traffic congestion and the regulation which protects the view of the urban conservation area behind it - as seen from the seafront.
At the end of the hearing, neighbours of the site complained angrily about lack of consistency by approving this project when others had been refused, on the same grounds of view corridors, density and traffic congestion.
Speaking for FAA, Astrid Vella said Mepa had missed the wood for the trees by focusing on technicalities while ignoring the overriding strategy and policy for the area which said that 'many of the coastal belt residential areas are over-developed and thus require a restricted approach to further development.'
The Mepa settlement policy also said that in localities such as Sliema, further development 'would increase further noise and traffic, overshadowing, sense of enclosure and degradation.'
Ms Vella said that Mepa's 1992 comment that Sliema had already exceeded its carrying capacity and that no more apartments should be permitted was truer today than 20 years ago.
Development permission was also granted for the construction of a hazardous waste storage facility within the existing Ghallis landfill complex limits of Naxxar.
The development, which forms part of the master plan that was approved in 2006, will include the construction of an administrative building, security facilities, closed 40-foot container bays, two substations, a quarantine area, reverse osmosis facility and a workshop.
The board also approved the development of a Cathedral Parish Centre located within an existing built-up area in Triq il-Kastell, Victoria. The project will include the construction of three meeting rooms, a hall, the bishop’s residence with staff quarters and a garage.