Fortina project: Approved in 10 months, 31 months to complete

The completion of the Fortina project which is set for approval in a planning board meeting today, is expected to last 31 months, the case officer recommending approval of the project states.

The development consists of the addition of five storeys to the existing hotel tower, a 15-storey block of 109 apartments as well as a ground-floor 3,500sq.m shopping mall and three levels of underground parking.

The development also includes a 2,460sq.m open space set between the refurbished five-star hotel, the spa block and the residential complex.

The excavation of the carpark is expected to take 16 weeks to complete while the construction of the carpark and overlying residential block will take approximately two years to complete. The refurbishment and extension of the five-star hotel will be done in parallel with the other phases.

Thus, “the entirety of the project is expected to last approximately 31 months”.

The PA has already approved the demolition of the existing hotel. Demolition works have resulted in a number of complaints by residents over the past weeks. Works will be regulated through a construction management plan.

The Environment and Resources Authority has exempted the development from carrying an Environment Impact Assessment and the project is set to be approved in ten months since the presentation of the application three days after the 2017 general election.

In its assessment of the project the Environment and Resources Authority lamented the “the absence of a clear plan-level picture of the development capacity of the surrounding area of influence”, noting that “such case-by-case assessment of individual development proposals has important limitations vis-a-vis proper evaluation of the actual cumulative air quality impact”.

The development has been given the clearance of the Government Property Division (GPD). The land was allocated for tourism-related development by the government in the 1960s.

The case officer report states that although the GPD does not have any objections, conditions require that “the proposed development is in accordance with the status of government ownership, the proposed development does not run counter to conditions under which it is let/given on emphyteusis and no third party rights are being infringed by proposed development”.

The Democratic Party had  expressed concern that the development resulted in a change of use from that stipulated in the original contract, and would “necessitate a rethink of the ground rent, which is an insignificant cost in light of the huge amount of money set to be made.”