Villa Rosa sole bidders for public alley

The developers of the Villa Rosa estate in St George’s Bay are the sole bidders for a public alleyway that connects the beachfront to the vast expanse set to be developed into a high-rise project.

Garnet Investments, which owns the Villa Rosa estate, presented a €134,000 bid for the 620sq.m alleyway that leads into the Ħarq Ħamiem valley. The sum offered by the company is just above the minimum price tag of €133,846 set by the Lands Authority.

While stating that the passageway cannot be blocked, the public call’s wording does not exclude the construction of a 5.5m-high ‘tunnel’, raising concerns of overhead construction at a price lower than expected.

Bidders had till 24 March, two days before the country went to the polls, to present their offer.

The Lands Authority has not replied to questions from MaltaToday on how valuation was carried out, and the public purpose behind the sale of the alley.

The Planning Authority has already approved the demolition of Moynihan House and Dolphin House to make way for commercial development by Garnet Investments, a company owned by Anton Camilleri. But new plans for a 34-storey tower near the Bay Street mall, and another 27-storey tower at the heart of the 50,000sq.m Villa Rosa, have been presented by the same company.

The project is a mix of hotels, serviced apartments, offices, recreational facilities, shops, bars, restaurants and a multi-purpose hall. While a considerable part of the site is designated as a public open space, the Environment and Resources Authority has expressed concern at the “significant” intensification of development proposed on-site.

The public open space will be located between the proposed buildings and the coastal promenade, but intensive development will be immediately bordering the sensitive valley area. The ERA expressed concern that excavations are proposed well within the established buffer zone of Ħarq Ħammiem cave, with additional excavations to the west of Moynihan House bringing interventions closer towards the area of the upper chamber of the underlying cave system.

In view of this the ERA has decreed that an Environment Impact Assessment is necessary before plans for the development are evaluated.