Sliema residents reacted with anger at a Mepa meeting this afternoon when it became known that Transport Malta is not objecting to the demolition of a town house located at a busy junction, and its replacement by a block of 10 apartments.

The residents, however, were told that the Mepa case officer is recommending a refusal of the permit application.

The case involves Villa Degiorgio, located at the top of Dingli Street in the junction known as Tlett Siġriet.

The residents in their formal objection had argued that this apartment block would cause further traffic disruption in an area characterised by frequent traffic jams.

Transport Malta, in a report read during a hearing of the Environment Planning Committee, said that the planned building of a garage for 13 cars would cause fewer traffic problems on the street than the current two-car garage because the new garage would have a bigger turning circle.

It was also argued that each apartment would generate only an average of 1.6 entrances and exists per day for a total of 13 trips a day for the whole block. One of the residents  present at the meeting retorted that his own family of four generated 16 entrances and exits, let alone a whole block of flats.

TM also said that the proposed block would have the same impact as any other block in built-up areas such as Sliema, and the Authority, therefore, had no objections to this particular project. 

An architect representing the residents of the area asked how Transport Malta could pronounce itself without having carried out technical studies.

The developers insisted on the right to build since the local plan provided for four-storey development in this area.

The residents insisted that the local plan was flawed because of a lack of public consultation. 

The case officer said that in cases of development in urban conservation areas, such as this, the directorate could use more discretion as regards planned projects including building heights and traffic generation and he was therefore recommending a permit refusal.    

A decision was put off to another sitting.