Planning Authority green-lights Gzira seafront lido

Gzira seafront lido gets green light from Planning Authority

The Planning Authority board has approved new plans for a lido on the Gzira strand opposite Manoel Island, which will include reclaimed land.

The new development, consisting of two triangular shaped restaurants each on a 160-square metre footprint, and a private swimming pool, will be constructed on 2,300 square metres of land reclaimed from the sea.

The project consists in the construction of the pool and the two 160 square metre restaurants on land reclaimed from the sea on the Gzira seafront. It also includes showers and changing rooms. The structures will have a maximum height of 4.8 metres.

A play area and an exhibition hall will be open to the public.

The private swimming pool will serve as an amenity for the Bay View, Kennedy Nova, the Strand and Waterfront Hotels. 

A study by Transport Malta concluded that as a result of the project the time allowed for green traffic lights should be extended from 15 to 21 seconds.

The project will require 14 new parking spaces for employees and 32 new spaces for restaurant patrons. None of these parking spaces are catered for in the project and architect Edwin Mintoff argued that the majority of the patrons will be hotel guests.

The case officer report concludes that the project will result in a shortfall of 14 parking spaces in an area which is already suffering from parking space shortage. 

The Authority also imposed a condition, requesting the applicant to pay a contribution of over €16,000 for the shortfall in parking provisions within the project. The monies will be allocated to the Urban Improvement Fund and shall be used for projects proposed by the local council related to traffic management, green transport or urban improvements within the locality.

The project, which will provide facilities for a number of Sliema hotels, has been proposed by entrepreneur Michael Stivala, secretary general of the Malta Developers Association.