Stivala’s Ta Xbiex tower gets two new floors

The Planning Authority has unanimously approved by eight votes against none the addition of two floors on the already approved 15 storey tower in ST Tower in Ta Xbiex proposed by  Malta Developers Association President Michael Stivala.

During the presentation on the project, architect Joseph Bondin showed photo montages of what the building would look like from the University of Malta, one of the strategic views protected by a policy in the local plan.

Policy NHSE 08 clearly states the PA should “refuse development permission for any proposed development that is likely to have a detrimental effect on strategic view.” NHSE 07 lists four so-called “Strategic View Corridors” which are clearly identified in Map SE2 which includes the “skylines that should not be significantly disrupted by new development, especially high buildings”.

During the meeting, Bondin showed images of the 15-storey version compared to the 17-storey one, both of which have an impact on this view.  But then he also showed another photomontage in which Stivala’s tower is completely hidden by the yet to be constructed 33-storey Metropolis Plaza which was approved in 2009 and renewed in 2014 without any consideration on the impact on this protected view.

The permit for the Metropolis development is set to expire in September 2023.

The developer justified the additional two floors citing market research showing that companies, especially foreign businesses, sought office outdoor areas for the benefit of their employees. The new proposal sought to achieve this by retaining the same floor-to-area ratio by decreasing the internal office space in favour of larger terraces, allowing for the increase of a further two floors.