Villa Rosa developers criticise Moviment Graffitti’s objections campaign

The developers of the Villa Rosa site have claimed that the Planning Authority received over 4,000 submissions "in favour" of the objectives outlined in the area’s Local Plan review.

A spokesman for the developers accused Moviment Graffitti of “attacking” the consultation process and trying to give the impression that the historical site will be destroyed.

“This is all false,” the spokesperson said. “In fact, the objectives prioritise the protection of all environmental and historical parts of the site.”

Earlier this week, Moviment Graffitti said the Planning Authority had been flooded with objections through their online form, which allowed the public to submit a ready-made objection to the Local Plan review.

Among the objections flagged by the NGO is the lack of transparency around the Local Plan review. Moviment Graffitti questioned the real purpose of this exercise since a specific policy for Villa Rosa already exists.

They also said that high-rise hotels should not be given any preferential treatment if their siting impinges upon residential amenity or scenic or environmentally sensitive sites. Meanwhile, there are no published studies or reports indicating that there is a dearth of tourists in Malta, or that high-rise buildings are the only hotels which can accommodate them.

The owners of the Villa Rosa site said the NGO’s campaign was misleading and the objectives of the Local Plan review were “overwhelmingly supported”.
 “As owners of the Villa Rosa site, we thank everybody who has participated in this first part of the consultation process. We remain committed to building a high quality tourism project for this site,” the spokesman said.

Last month, the Planning Authority launched a public consultation to change the Local Plan governing the Villa Rosa site in St Julian’s.

Among the objectives of the review, as stated by the authority, are to reconfigure the boundaries of the sub-zones within the Villa Rosa area and establish the allowable building heights for each sub-zone.

The objectives state that the minimum area of public open space must exceed the current allocations in the local plan, as well as the zones where higher quality hotels shall be allowed.

The policy allows all hotels inside development zones to add two new storeys over and above the height limitation permitted in their towns’ local plans.

READ ALSO: Shifting goalposts at Villa Rosa: From policy, to project-driven