Four hotels in Gzira have teamed up to present a proposal to Mepa for the building of a lido on the seafront.
The Bayview Hotel, the Kennedy Nova Hotel, 115 The Strand, and the Waterfront Hotel are seeking to build a lido complete with a swimming pool, bathing area, and two small restaurants, with some minor landscaping. Most of the project will be on reclaimed land.
The project is a scaled down version of another proposal, now discarded, for a lido complete with a swimming pool, restaurants, a public garden with kiosks and gazebos and berthing facilities for a number of small boats in Sliema Creek.
A consultation document presented by the developers and published by Mepa points out that Gżira is sought after by tourists especially for the three-star and hostel type of accommodation.
The one amenity that is conspicuous by its absence in the area (despite this being a coastal location) is appropriate swimming facilities.
The nearest sandy beach is St George’s Bay, followed by the Buġibba perched beach, Golden Bay and Mellieħa Bay.
These are considered too far to be of direct benefit to the hotels in the Gżira area, which are seeking to improve the product on offer by building a lido that would service the hotels in the area. This would allow the Gżira hotels to compete on a more equal footing with those in Sliema, St Julians, Buġibba and Mellieħa.
The proposed project will jut out from the promenade in the inner part of Sliema Creek, close to Manoel Island. It will involve the reclamation of around 2,300 square metres of land from the sea for the construction of a semi-private lido area consisting of two small restaurants and the swimming pool.
The lido area, where public access will be restricted/controlled, will be of some 1,700 m2, or, approximately 47% of the total project area.
It will cater for 120 sunbeds at any one time. The two restaurants will have a total of 39 covers plus an external area on the sun deck that can be used as a seating area.
The promenade area adjacent to the project will be re-paved following construction. A few planters are also proposed in the area.
The whole project will have a footprint of approximately 3,600m2.
The lido will mainly be a summer facility, though the restaurants can function throughout the year.
The report says the impacts on the landscape and visual amenity are likely to range from minor positive to major negative, depending on the aspect being considered. The upgrading of a small part of The Strand will result in a beneficial impact.
On the other hand, the construction of the restaurants on the reclaimed foreshore will compete with the vistas of Manoel Island in the foreground and Valletta in the background. Depending on the type and method of construction, this impact may range from minor to major significance.
The outward extension of the coastline towards Manoel Island will result in narrowing of the inner part of Sliema Creek. This may affect the hydrodynamic conditions in this part of Marsamxett Harbour, which effects need to be carefully considered through appropriate modelling. Modelling would also need to consider the possible scouring and other effects of the reclamation works on the adjacent seabed.
The report was prepared by Adi Associates.