The Townsquare saga is set to conclude this week as the planning review tribunal announces its decision regarding the appeals against building the controversial 38-storey tower in Sliema.
The €100 million Gasan project was narrowly approved by the Planning Authority in September 2016 and is the subject of separate appeals by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), the Sliema local council and Din L-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar and other eNGOs.
The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal is expected to make its decision on Thursday.
Developers plan on building 159 residential units, 750 parking spots, various retail outlets and leisure facilities around an open space accessible to the public on the 12,000 square metre site.
The sides clashed again in March after residents complained of choking on dust
Opponents of the project have argued that the project will have an excessive visual impact, create traffic and congestion in Qui-Si-Sana and negatively impact the nearby residents’ quality of life. ERA chairman Victor Axiak, who was absent due to illness when the PA board approved the project by a single vote margin, described the environment impact assessment as a “sham”.
Excavation works on Townsquare kicked off late last year, prompting NGOs to accuse the developers of seeking to undermine the appeal process by presenting the project as a fait accompli. The developers countered that they had all necessary permits and objectors had not requested a suspension of works.
The two sides clashed again in March after Sliema residents complained of being choked with dust from the construction site, with the local council condemning the lack of supervision by the authorities.
Developers said they had gone to great lengths to contain dust at the excavation site, but had been thwarted by windy conditions. They had previously committed to mitigation measures, including water-spraying equipment and wheel-washing procedures, to minimise inconvenience.
Another high-rise proposal a stone’s throw away – the 40-storey Fort Cambridge tower – is undergoing PA screening following the publication of an environment impact assessment earlier this year. Meanwhile, an application to raise the height of the nearby Fortina tower to 23 storeys was approved in April.