The 37-storey tower and 17-storey hotel proposed for St George’s Bay will have significant impacts on the surrounding area despite mitigation measures, according to studies published for consultation.
The Environment Planning Statement (EPS) for db Group’s City Centre development concluded that the project would, together with the adjacent Villa Rosa development, double traffic in the area, and have an effect on long-distance views from Mdina and the Valletta skyline as seen from Vittoriosa.
Shading studies also found that nearby residents to the north, and hotel guests in the surrounding area, would be highly affected at specific hours of the day, especially in the colder seasons.
During excavation, according to the EPS, some 3,000 cubic metres of rock will have to be removed from the site daily over four-and-a-half months, with 13 trucks per hour over a 12-hour working day.
The report notes that the architectural design and scale of the high-rise building is likely to be divisive, with some considering it an example of “Dubai-ification”, while others see it as an indication of technological and economic modernisation.
“The arguments for and against buildings of this type are well rehearsed by now, and the public consultation process is not expected to produce new arguments regarding its impact on the landscape and visual amenity,” the report states.
Economically, the development is projected to produce spill-over effects on the surrounding area, increasing demand for other goods and services and generating a significant injection into the local economy through the sale of luxury apartments to high net-worth buyers.
The development is expected to generate employment beyond new jobs created by the project itself, as well as increasing residential demand nearby, which the study notes could increase pressure for redevelopment and impact the quality of life of current residents.
Possible cultural heritage impacts were raised with regard to the two British-era barracks blocks forming the Institute of Tourism Studies campus, which will be dismantled and reassembled to form part of the hotel building.
The project could also have a potentially adverse effect on Għar Ħarq Ħammiem, the largest mean sea level cave complex containing freshwater in Malta, which directly underlies part of the site and above which excavations will take place.
The impact on air quality, both during construction and operation, is not expected to be significant, according to the report. The same is true of noise pollution, although the report notes entertainment areas and loading bays could be a nuisance to residents if strict time limits are not respected.
The €300 million City Centre project has been the source of significant controversy over the €60 million valuation of the land given to the developers on a 99-year concession.
Calculations based on the government’s Paceville master plan put the value at €212 million.
The master plan itself has been on the backburner since the original draft, published in September last year, was scrapped amid public outcry against it, as well as allegations of conflict of interest against UK planning firm Mott MacDonald, which was commissioned to draft it.
Despite a revised draft being planned for release in April or May, the Planning Authority said in August it was still “considering various options on the procedure to be adopted” for the revisions.
The government pledged in June last year that there would be no major developments in Paceville until the conclusion of the masterplan. A spokeswoman told this newspaper in February that position remained unchanged.