Updated 3.55pm - Added Townsquare statement
Sliema local council and NGOs opposed to Townsquare skyscraper plans are pleased with a decision to send the tower plans back to the drawing board, but have warned they are still willing to take legal action if needed.
The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal on Thursday declared that the Planning Authority’s permit for the project would be revoked and ordered that the application should undergo the whole planning process again.
Read: Townsquare back to square one - Tribunal sends plans back to the PA
In a joint statement, Sliema local council, together with NGOs Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Ramblers, Qui Si Sana and Tigne Residents Association and other organisations highlighted that many of their objections had been upheld, from the lack of certain essential documents to the failure to provide photo-montages from the Three Cities.
They stressed that the permit was granted by a Planning Board which lacked any representative from the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and said that ERA must be given the opportunity to voice its position on such large building projects.
In their statement, the local council highlighted a number of issues that must always be taken into account, such as the wind impact of nearby buildings or proposed buildings, parking requirements and drainage infrastructure.
"Such complacency on basic infrastructural needs is unacceptable," they said.
Townsquare developers 'disappointed'
In a brief statement issued on Friday afternoon, project developers said that while they were disappointed with the decision, they remained fully committed to their plans.
Developers would be meeting PA officials next week "to discuss the way forward," a company spokesman said in a statement.
"We took great care to adhere to policy during the course of a lengthy and detailed planning process and met all the requirements set out by the Planning Authority and Environment Resources Authority in the years leading to the approval of the Townsquare application in 2016," they said.
“We therefore intend to take all the necessary steps in the coming days to ensure the process continues.”