40-storey Tigné tower hotel: no objection from environment authority

A planned 40-storey tower hotel in Tigné received no objection from the Environment and Resources Authority despite reservations on the case-by-case approval of high rise buildings on the Sliema peninsula.

In its final report on the project, ERA did not object to the development but insisted the piecemeal approach to applications for high rise buildings in Tigné is preventing a proper assessment of the overall visual and air quality impacts of these projects.

This follows a similar report by ERA on the 37-storey tower proposed at St George’s Bay by the db group, in which it expressed concern on the visual impact without objecting to the project.

The 40-storey hotel above the Fort Cambridge officer’s mess, a historical building proposed for scheduling, is next in line to be considered by the Planning Authority over the coming months. The project belongs to the GAP Group.

The hearing has yet to be scheduled and the PA’s planning directorate still has to prepare its report, which would include a recommendation for or against the development.

The case officer will have to consider a recent decision of the review tribunal (EPRT) that revoked a permit for the neighbouring 38-storey Townsquare by the Gasan group, mainly because of its massive visual impact on historical skylines.

It means the proposed hotel cannot be justified on the basis that the PA has already approved a similar development in the area.

The ERA has, however, expressed concern on the way developments in the area are being considered in isolation from each other. It said that in the absence of a clear plan which assesses the development capacity of the surrounding area, “such case-by-case assessment of individual development proposals” limits the proper evaluation of the actual cumulative impacts, especially with regards to air quality and visual impacts.

The project’s own environmental impact assessment has deemed the impact of the proposed high rise hotel on air quality as negligible despite the daily increase of 1,500 cars resulting from the project.

The ERA also noted that the proposal will introduce a high rise building in the heart of Tigné. Acknowledging that the area is already subject to a number of medium and high rise developments, the Fort Cambridge hotel would still result in a significant expansion in terms of height.

“The project will significantly alter the skyline of the area, the immediate environs of Fort Cambridge and the wider setting of the Valletta fortifications, especially taking into consideration the cumulative impact of other high-rise developments in the area," ERA said.

But despite the reservations, ERA had no objection “from an environmental point of view”, an indication that visual impact is not being seen as an important environmental consideration like the development on virgin land, which has, in fact, led the authority to object to a number of other developments.