ERA gives go-ahead to Swatar valley development

The Environment and Resources Authority is not objecting to residential development consisting of 13 five-storey blocks on disused farmland in Swatar.

The land is situated between Valley Road, behind the Charles Grech outlet, and Triq Indri Grima above it.

The land which provides soil cover in the flood prone area was added to development zones in the infamous extension of boundaries in 2006 on condition that only low-density development is approved on it.

“Given that the site is located entirely within the Development Zone (DZ), there are no major concerns on this proposal from an environmental point of view,” ERA said.

This stance is consistent with ERA’s position on similar developments proposed on rationalisation sites in the past years but ignores environmental concerns raised by the Msida council which wants to extend a public afforestation project on an adjacent site to this area.

While issuing its go-ahead for the approval of the zoning application aimed at establishing the height and massing of the proposed development, ERA pointed out that more detailed environmental screening including environmental impact assessments, may be required when the developers apply for a full planning permit.

But while such studies can mitigate the impacts of the proposed development, the PA is obliged to approve future developments, within the parameters of the zoning permit.

ERA is also proposing several generic conditions.

These include the use of sustainable urban drainage systems which are to be integrated as part of the design of the site to collect, attenuate and treat surface water runoff, thereby minimising risk of localised flooding.

It is also calling for the inclusion of a “public green space” which should be commensurate to the scale, height and configuration of the proposed development in the planning of this site.

The Labour-led Msida local council is objecting to the development noting that the proposal is contrary to the parameters established in the rationalisation exercise which foresaw “low density detached building development” limited to the lower 50% of the site with the rest being retained as open space.

In contrast the current plan shows that the proposed building will have a height of 17.5m (five floors) and therefore does not qualify as low-density development.

Moreover, the local council noted that the development is adjacent to another site earmarked for an afforestation project being implemented by Ambjent Malta.

“Therefore, instead of developing more buildings, it would be more ideal to pursue a plan that preserves the environment and takes initiatives for greener development by planting more trees and restoring the rubble walls so that the area will be conserved for the common good of all in the present and, more importantly, for the future”, the council said.

The latest plans presented by landowner David Grech show buildings spread on a footprint of 7,129sq.m. A further 2,252sq.m will consist of internal pavements and roads. It also foresees a public open space of 5,122sq.m and private open space of 4,265sq.m which together would occupy 50% of the site.

To address flooding concerns due to the take up of a valley side in a notoriously flood prone area, the developers have proposed reservoirs beneath each residential block with a storage capacity of 7,400 cubic metres to be used either as second-class water or to irrigate the green spaces.