Tribunal sends Townsquare plans back to the PA, calls for new assessment

The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) has ruled that plans for the Townsquare project in Sliema should be sent back to the Planning Authority (PA) for a new decision.

The tribunal said a new assessment was required in line with the Floor Area Ratio policy.

The Environment Authority also needs to re-assess the project on the basis of a new environmental impact assessment, a social impact assessment and a traffic impact assessment.

The Sliema Local Council, as well as ENGOs, had officially filed an appeal before the EPRT in relation to the PA’s granting of the permit for Townsquare development by Townsquare Ltd.

Martin Xuereb, the architect in charge of the Townsquare project, has previously said that it a 38storey tower will be built on the Union Club site in Sliema. The Townsquare project will feature 159 apartments, 4,700 square metres of office space, 10,000 square metres of retail space and 748 parking spaces, as well as the restoration of the nearby Villa Drago. On 4 August, the PA approved the development, with seven votes in favour and six against. Its chairman, Vince Cassar, was among those who did not want the project to go through.

The 12,000-square-metre site, owned by the developers for over six decades, was previously vacant, save for the dilapidated Villa Drago, which will be restored to its former glory and take pride of place. The site has formed part of the Building Scheme since 1991 and was earmarked for development in the 2006 Local Plan. Roughly 40 per cent of the Townsquare footprint will be occupied by buildings due to a decision to build a high-rise tower rather than lower-level cluster apartments covering the whole area. The remainder, developers say, will be landscaped for public use and maintained by them.

ENGOs Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta and Ramblers Association Malta, together with the Qui si-Sana Resident’s Association, had filed a joint appeal with the EPRT against the approval of the development. The appeal was prepared by lawyer Claire Bonello and architect Carmel Cacopardo.

One of the main concerns regarding this development is that it would impact views from Valletta. Objectors also argue that the impact assessment did not include the that of a Fort Cambridge development. They also cited the impact on infrastructure and the shadow such a construction will cast on the surrounding area. Objectors say that the social impact assessment carried out was also inadequate.