Din l-Art Helwa and Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar have expressed concern about the renewed approval by the planning authority of a large high-rise development in Gzira.

Din l-Art Helwa said that such major planning decisions with long-term impact on the urban environment should be underpinned by a clear vision and strategy and not be approved piecemeal.

It said it was not clear what improvements in the existing urban fabric were expected beyond the boundaries of the development.

On the other hand, the construction of such a large-scale project might aggravate traffic problems on the heavily congested road network in the area.

FAA referred to a 2008 report on tall buildings by a Fulbright scholar in conjunction with Mepa.

The expert had said that the authority should proceed slowly and that future tall building developments should not be considered without further planning and study of existing projects.

But it seemed none of the authority’s directors adjudicating the project were aware of the report or its recommendations and the board renewed the permit without guarantees of financial security or fire service adequacy.  

FAA said that the case was advertised and decided on Thursday but listed on the Mepa website agenda for June 13, misleading those who consulted the website. On the day of the hearing, environmental information on this case was blocked on the Mapserver, in violation of the Aarhus Convention on the public’s right to access environmental information.

“What is the point of holding studies, only to keep them under wraps to avoid implementing them? There is no benefit in having environmentalists on the Mepa board if it is still dominated by members who do not even try to hide their blatant pro-development bias.  Mepa’s consistent practice of finding loopholes and quoting the letter, rather than the spirit of the law, discredits all talk of Mepa reform,” FAA said.