New buildings to take up over 20,400sq.m of Manoel Island

New buildings over a 20,400sq.m footprint on Manoel Island are set to be approved by the Planning Authority, roughly covering an area the size of three football pitches.

It means MIDI’s new buildings will now take up 7.3% of the islet, up from 6% or 16,553sq.m in the former plans of three years ago.

The PA originally issued an outline permit for the entire MIDI project in Tigné and Manoel island back in 1999 which foresaw development on an even larger scale. A downscaled masterplan was finally approved in 2021 but the project layout has changed yet again following archaeological discoveries, mainly related to old cemeteries.

Photomontage showing view of MIDI project from Gzira promenade

While the latest plans have excluded development on archeologically sensitive areas, they still foresee a considerable 10,125sq.m increase in gross floor area of apartments when compared to the masterplan.

The increase in residential space is being achieved without increasing approved heights, but by reducing shops and restaurants’ floor area to 4,600sq.m.

And while public spaces too will be reduced by 5,000sq.m, private open spaces will be increased in a newly created gated community by 12,500sq.m, with the integration of the circulation area within the building fabric.

A new village in the making?

A grand total of 323 apartments, up from the 300 approved in 2021, are being proposed in three separate large blocks which will dominate views of Manoel Island from Ta’ Xbiex and the Gżira Strand, but which are now contained in part of the island.

The project will retain 172,362sq.m of open spaces, or 62% of the whole islet. This will include 48,293sq.m of public squares and streets, 9,388sq.m of shoreline, a 12,658sq.m waterfront promenade, 10,678sq.m of sports facilities, a 78,481sq.m glacis park around Fort Manoel and a 10,279sq.m garden.

The largest cluster, consisting of 227 apartments and rising to a height of 25m, will be located off the bridge entry point. This cluster has been set back further from the coast and will be divided in four condensed blocks – instead of previously seven fragmented smaller blocks. This cluster will also include eight catering establishments.

The adjacent Manoel Hospital building (ex-Customs House) will be restored and turned into a restaurant, while St George’s Chapel will be converted into a lapidarium for the storage and display of architectural remains recovered during the archaeological evaluation of the site.

A second residential cluster further inland will rise to 26m with 82 residential units. The nearby remnants of the original old plague hospital will be turned into a catering establishment.

A third cluster of 14 residential units will be next to the Manoel Destroyer Depot, and will include an underlying multilevel car park, and a clubhouse with gym, swimming pool, padel courts and another catering establishment.

There will also be an upgrading of main vehicular streets, the formation of public open spaces including a 10,000sq.m “indigenous garden” and the recreation of the historic Bovile street which follows the route taken by cattle to quarantine, as well as the creation of a marina promenade and other landscaped areas including part of the original quay wall.

Development endorsed by case officer and heritage watchdog

The case officer recommending approval acknowledges the increase in the proposed gross floor area of the residential apartments as a positive contribution to the whole project, in terms of less nuisance and traffic. As proposed in the latest plans, an average of 3,878 car trips will be generated every day.

The plans were welcomed by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage in view of the improvements made to the context of architectural assets.

Photomontages suggest the visual impact of the project remains largely the same as the 2017 proposal, despite the high impact on seven viewpoints from the Strand and the Council of Europe garden and Ta’ Xbiex yacht marina.

For the first time the visual studies include photomontages showing aerial views of the project, which confirm the massive scale of the project.

Despite the endorsement by the SCH, nearly 300 people have formally objected to the latest plans due to the impact on views and the reduction of public open spaces.

A widely-shared objection initiated by Moviment Graffitti warns that construction works for the project “will only wreak further havoc on the already overconstructed Marsamxett harbour region” and be “a slap in the face to the community”.

The case officer is recommending the imposition of a €1.6 million planning gain towards the Planning Authority’s Planning Fund for environmental projects in Gzira.