For those who are unfamiliar with planning ‘speak’, the term FAR refers to floor area ratio. The basic concept being that you go tall to release urban space for public and local community use. So far so good.
This concept underpins the policy document issued in May 2014 entitled Planning Policy Guide on the Use and Applicability of the Floor Area Ratio.
The aim of the policy as issued by the Planning Authority includes putting “emphasis on the location of the site in relation to adjacent property, the provision of open space, the quality of the design and the safeguarding of visually and environmentally sensitive areas”.
It has additional clauses such as: “Sites which are located in Gozo, UCAs, protected areas, ridges, ODZ and residential priority areas will not be eligible and a minimum of 50 per cent of the site area must be retained as open space.”
“Tall buildings need to respond positively to their context including natural topography, scale, height, urban grain, streetscape and built form, and the skyline. Tall buildings should be sited where visual impact on sensitive historic environments and their settings such as World Heritage sites, conservation areas and scheduled buildings is minimised, and should retain and enhance key strategic, long distance views and important vistas at a national and at the local level.”
However, while the policy document speaks about respecting skylines and open views, what in actual fact has happened is precisely the opposite.
Such statements on responding to context have in truth been completely ignored and we now have several tall building applications approved and in the first phases of construction. Among these are the Townsquare tall building which impinges negatively upon the world heritage site of Valletta and the Mrieħel quadruple towers which impinge negatively upon the sight lines of Valletta to Mdina.
In October 2016, Din L-Art Ħelwa engaged the services of Michael Short, from the Bartlett School of Planning, UCL. His brief was to give the council of Din L-Art Ħelwa, an objective overview of the current policies and the applications for tall buildings that were on the table at the time.
READ: Non-residents to get a permit exemption for Mrieħel towers
His report which was issued to us in November 2016 included statements on the weaknesses of the policy as follows:
“Firstly, the status of that policy appears to be disputed. In theory it is adopted policy yet it is not being implemented in the spirit of its drafting. This is problematic and hints at the way in which politics frames development decisions in Malta.”
While the policy speaks about how we citizens will benefit from open green spaces, the reality is a far cry from open green spaces
Clearly the spirit of the policy has not been adopted. Let us examine what is happening in Mrieħel; the tall building commissioned by the Gasan Group which resulted in the approved permit for four towers ranging from 14 to 20 storeys in height was approved in 2016.
Din l-Art Ħelwa has protested and is currently running an appeal on two major issues: Mrieħel was not included in the sites for consideration in the draft policy document; and these tall buildings affect negatively the sight lines from Mdina to Valletta.
While the policy speaks about how we citizens will benefit from open green spaces, the reality is a far cry from open green spaces since the base of the buildings is raised from street levels by a series of steps creating a podium above multiple floors of car park.
Apart from a few planters with shrubs and perhaps a tree or two, that will be the sum total of green space that will be achieved at the Mrieħel quads. So where is the public gain with these four towers?
We recently read about the approval of the Farsons Business Park being stalled, since it exceeded the height limitation. This business park project designed conceptually by world leading architect Ian Ritche has been long in coming.
Din L-Art Ħelwa was consulted about the project and we were very pleased when both Ian Ritchie and the board opted not to go for a tall building to protect the important sightlines from Valletta to Mdina.
Music to our ears when the architects and developers are respectful of the environmental implications. So, we ask why was this quality project being doubted?
It stands at a total of five storeys above ground level with a concept of offices surrounding open courts, all distanced from the street by the retention of the front portico of the building designed by Lewis Farrugia together with William Binnie in the late 1940s, and the open tract of land in front of the main façade is to be retained.
It is therefore not only incomprehensible but shocking that due to political pressure four towers are approved which provide no public space of quality and ruin the sight lines between Mdina and Valletta while approval for a quality project at five floors is questioned by the Planning Authority.
We ask you planners, policymakers and decision makers to reconsider what you approve on the basis of what is indeed beneficial for the future of these islands and what we shall bequeath to our future generations.
“Legislation must be sufficiently robust to protect what is fragile and sufficiently flexible to allow change. It must enable us to sustain what we value from the past both for its own sake and as a stimulus to creative new architecture and good design. It must enable our heritage to be a force for regenerating our cities” (Tessa Jowell).
Maria Grazia Cassar is executive president of Din l-Art Ħelwa.