Planning Authority chairman defends need for Mriehel flyover

Planning Authority executive chairman Martin Saliba has defended the need of a “new junction” to provide access to the Mriehel industrial estate, claiming the existing situation as a “dangerous one”.

Saliba was reacting to concerns expressed by Graffitti activists on a proposed flyover over agricultural land in Qormi during a discussion on the proposed lifting of building heights in industrial zones in Marsa and Mriehel.

“Without entering in to the merits of a particular proposal which still has to be discussed, it is clear that Mriehel needs a new access,” Saliba insisted.

Wayne Flask from Moviment Graffitti expressed concern on the “assault of infrastructural projects” in the area, including the proposed flyover at Mriehel, which would result in the uptake of 20 tumoli of land.

He denounced the piecemeal way through which the area was being developed in the absence of a masterplan and asked whether the lifting of height limits paves the way for transforming an industrial area into a commercial one questioning the motivations behind the changes.

Karen Tanti, also from Moviment Graffitti, warned that approving the new policy in the absence of a masterplan will result in “chaos”. She asked for evidence and studies justifying the lifting of height limitations.

On his part Martin Saliba justified the changes in heights as a way to maximise space in the area and avoid taking up new land.

Opposition representative David Thake accused the government of taking people for a ride, warning that lifting height limitations will result in high-rise and speculative development. “We should call a spade a spade. If the motivation is to create more little rich people, the government should be upfront about it instead of hiding behind a false pretext of industrial development.”

Nationalist MP Kevin Cutajar called on the government to present studies justifying the changes. He also questioned whether the changes in the workplace brought about during the pandemic were taken in to account.

Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia defended the changes as a way of accommodating the kind of industries Malta wants to attract, without increasing the land take-up in agricultural land. “We are constantly faced with the challenge of finding space for industry.”

He countered criticism that factories are not normally located in high rises. “We are not living in the 1950s where industry is limited to manufacturing…”

Currently building heights in these areas are limited to 12m in Marsa and 14m in Mriehel. The proposal, which will include amendments to South Malta and Central Malta Local Plans, is for building heights in these zones to be determined by non-numeric, urban design policies, achieving a balance between optimising the space available whilst respecting the environment and the communities that live and work within these areas.

The proposed urban design parameters which will guide the assessment of building heights will include the operational needs of the business, the under-ground development potential, the topography of the site, the proximity of sites/buildings that must be safeguarded and the impact upon the skyline.