Study to investigate impact of rising sea levels on Jerma development

The Jerma developers in Marsaskala will have to study the impact of rising sea levels on their project, a screening report by the environment watchdog suggests.

The excavation of two basement levels near the shoreline may “introduce significant long-term implications in relation to vulnerability to sea level rise”, the Environment and Resources Authority said.

The screening report is the first step before the terms of reference for the Environmental Impact Assessment of the project are set.

The proposed basements are just 0.61m above mean sea level, according to a Project Development Statement presented by the developers.

In view of the possible impact, the ERA concluded that the EIA should address this issue. It also said rising sea levels should be “factored during the design of the basements”.

The project consisting of two eight storey blocks incorporating 259 serviced apartments and 155 dwellings is expected to provide 427 car parking spaces and 135 garages for residences on two basement levels.

Other hotel amenities and commercial space will also be located at basement level. The basement level will extend beneath the existing road which will be converted into an open space.

The EIA will also assess the impact of the project on air quality. The development is expected to generate a daily increase of 3,533 vehicle trips to the area.

According to ERA the “increase in the number of vehicles and increase in traffic, during operation, are expected to have an impact on air quality” and “thus further studies on this aspect are required”.

With respect to noise, the proposal is expected to increase the noise levels by more than 3dB, particularly through traffic generation along Triq is-Salini. In this regard, a noise study for road traffic is required for Triq is-Salini, Triq it-Torri and Triq il-Katakombi to assess the potential traffic noise impact during peak hours.

Preliminary studies by the developer have also indicated that the project will generate 32,535 cubic metres of demolition waste from the derelict building and an additional 25,557 cubic metres of inert waste because of the excavation of the site.

The ERA is the regulatory authority which ultimately decides whether applicants must submit an EIA or not.  In this case, the scale of the environmental impacts of the project was deemed to warrant such a study. The results must be published before any decision on the project is taken by the Planning Authority.