The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has approved the construction of a 12-storey block in Gżira that will tower above the surrounding buildings.
The high-rise development consists of a mixed-use commercial and residential block on the site of the former United Garage, on a three-way junction between Gżira Road, Victory Street and Sliema Road.
It will include three basement parking levels accommodating 125 car parking spaces, 695 square metres of landscaped public open space, a cafeteria, overlying office space and 10 residential units.
The Mepa board imposed a planning gain of nearly €30,000 for the Gżira Local Council to use in environmental and urban improvement projects, traffic management, green transport and similar initiatives.
In their presentation yesterday, developers highlighted that the public space on the ground level would be approximately 62 per cent of the total footprint, above the 50 per cent required by law.
The building will feature a green wall and a visual focus on transparency and verticality, which developers said would minimise the aesthetic impact on the surroundings.
Shading studies showed that overshadowing would be limited to the roofs of surrounding buildings, they said.
An application for a four-storey and penthouse development on the same site had already been approved by Mepa in 2011.
The case officer report, which recommended the approval of the application, noted that the development could serve as a catalyst for the regeneration of the surrounding area.
The report also said the design of the elevation was unlikely to adversely affect the surrounding streetscape, although it noted that the increased height could have implications for overshadowing and wind circulation.
A Traffic Impact Assessment carried out for the original development proposal, which recommended traffic management solutions “to reduce the continuous increase in demand on the key junctions”, was considered sufficient for the latest proposed development.
The “Gżira employment node” was identified in a 2014 policy on building heights approved as one of the localities appropriate for high-rise developments, particularly for office use.
The new tower block, in fact, will be located approximately 500 metres away from the Metropolis development on Gżira’s Testaferrata Street.
Metropolis Plaza, scheduled for completion in four years’ time, will feature three high-rise buildings of 13, 27 and 33 floors, the latter becoming the highest building in Malta.