Residents fear noise from proposed ‘multipurpose venue’ on Rialto rooftop

A rooftop ‘multipurpose venue’ being proposed on top of the Rialto has raised concerns that the neighbouring residents will be exposed to noise from parties and weddings.

According to the submitted plans the new venue  will consist of an additional floor covered by a restored steel frame which already tops the building.

The additional floor will also include a kitchen, a cold-room and the breakfast area of a hotel which is included in the project.

The Rialto is owned by the Labour Party, which intends leasing it out to a private company following a call for expressions of interest.

The party has so far made no announcement on the selected bidder but a planning application for the site has been submitted by Rialto Operations Ltd, a joint venture between GP Borg Holdings, a ready-mix concrete supplier, that owns 90%, and lawyer Charlon Gouder, who owns the remaining 10%.

Contacted by MaltaToday and asked how his company intends to address residents’ concerns Gouder replied that commercial operations on the roof of the theatre “will be following procedures and specific permit issued by the relevant authorities, as happens on other sites including other historical buildings in Cottonera which already exist and are run on a commercial model.”  Gouder added that the space on the rooftop will “among other things serve as a space from which one can enjoy the best views of Cottonera and its surroundings.”

Plans submitted  by Rialto Operations Ltd, foresee the restoration of  the existing theatre and cinema, a new theatre with catering facilities, an interconnected social club, and a boutique hotel linked to an adjacent townhouse.

But the most controversial aspect of the plan has been the proposed addition of a new floor atop the building, which will be used as a “multipurpose venue”.

The PL had issued a call for expressions of interest for the lease of the building in 2021.

In his reply Gouder also referred to the “substantial investment” that the company will be making in restoring the “majestic building” which has been neglected for a long time.

“This investment will be based on a long-term vision for the Rialto, for the neighbouring community and the local artistic community, offering the best facilities and the most modern technology”.

Moreover, apart from the restored theatre, the Rialto will also “host different activities and uses best suited to different seasons.”

Residents fear noise

But not all residents have been won over by the new company’s vision. In fact, nearly 100 objections mostly from residents, have been submitted to the application.

One of the residents objected to what he described as plans to turn the Rialto into  “a space where events are held on the roof”.

“The Three Cities should be preserved and protected for future generations and not turned into an entertainment centre. We are already reading what Valletta residents are suffering from because regulations are not being adhered to”.

Another objector warned that ‘multi-purpose facilities’ could result in the hosting of  events, concerts, and social gatherings, with a great likelihood of “increased noise levels and amplified sound pollution” which “would greatly disrupt the tranquillity of the surrounding residential areas, affecting the quality of life for residents and potentially causing significant discomfort”.

In order to illustrate their concerns regarding noise disturbance, on 25 June, environmental NGO Flimkien Ghall-Ambjent Ahjar resorted to a brief ‘sound protest’ by installing speakers on a rooftop alongside the Rialto Theatre, at approximately the same height.

Wedding music was transmitted between 5pm and 5:30pm from two speakers, measuring an average count of 87dB.

The organisation also measured the noise levels in different parts of Bormla including the footbridge leading to AUM were a measurement of 72dB-the equivalent of noise from a washing machine, was registered.

FAA claims that the sound protest yielded a strong response from the surrounding community, with numerous complaints being made to the police. As agreed with the police prior to the protest, the music was stopped immediately.

FAA claims that due to proximity to the houses surrounding the Rialto, noise will resonate from the proposed roof level multi-purpose venue.

“We prefer to call a spade a spade: the multi-purpose venue is in fact a wedding reception venue. Any number of bedrooms behind the Rialto all the way up to the highest point of the city will experience unacceptable levels of noise and disturbance with every new wedding, party or event to be hosted on that roof level”.

According to FAA residents are already incensed by events regularly held on the roof-top of the Cugó Gran Macina in Isla, “where the party sounds are dispersed across Bormla whenever an entertainment event takes place.”

FAA even produced video evidence documenting the noise from a wedding reception held during the evening on the same day of the sound protest and claims that the police were inundated with further angry calls calling for the noise disturbance to be stopped immediately while noting that the Macina roof lies just 380m away from the Rialto roof.

FAA has warned that “if this application were to be approved, it will allow no peace and quiet in approximately 300 or 400 bedrooms around the Rialto”, adding this will become a “nightmarish echo-chamber”. This is because of the topographical position of the Rialto which lies in the centre of the Bormla village core, at the lowest point of the town. “The majority of Bormla steps up around that, in the shape of an amphitheatre”.

But the Environment and Resources Authority has already issued the clearance for the development without ordering any noise studies.

Noting the site context ERA envisages “no major environmental concerns” from the proposal.