NGOs, Sliema council could still take legal action against Townsquare development

The Sliema local council and NGOs will continue to monitor the Townsquare development progress and may still take legal action if necessary, they said in a statement.

In a joint statement, the Tas-Sliema Local Council, together with NGOs Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Ramblers, Qui Si Sana and Tigne Residents Association and other organisations expressed their satisfaction at the outcome of yesterday’s Appeal Tribunal decision regarding the Townsquare development.

The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal yesterday declared that the Planning Authority’s decision to issue a permit for this project would be revoked and ordered that the application should undergo the whole planning process again. 

READ MORE: Townsquare high-rise planning process must start afresh

In the statement, The Sliema Local Council and NGOs highlighted the fact that the Townsquare permit was granted by a Planning Board which lacked any representative from the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA). They said it was necessary that ERA is given the opportunity to voice its position on such large building projects.

“All studies need to be updated and not rely on obsolete data. The impacts of towers on congested residential zones is considerable. Tall buildings create increased ground winds therefore the study of the wind impacts to be produced by the Townsquare project needs to take into account the 40-storey High Rise proposed to be built on Fort Cambridge.”

They stressed that parking requirements should also be reconsidered, and that the medium standard stipulated by the 2015 Development Control Design Policy should be used rather than an ad-hoc model which is not based on any policy. The holding capacity of the drainage infrastructure needs to be studied as well, they said.

“During the Appeal the representative from the Water Services Corporation had pointed out that no written report was carried out on the holding capacity of this development and other high rise developments in the area. Such complacency on basic infrastructural needs is unacceptable.”