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The present government is frantically disposing of as much public property as possible, and before its probable downfall in the next election, has now set its sights on Fort Cambridge, a historic fort built in the 1880s which is located adjacent to the Holiday Inn Hotel.
The historic Fort Cambridge housed the historic 100-ton gun that protected the island from invasion and enemy ships. Similar guns were at the same time placed on Gibraltar. The fort was being used by the Holiday Inn hotel and belongs to the public.
Cabinet has now decided that the historic fort, together with the Holiday Inn and surrounding area is to be included in a new MEPA brief for the development of the area. The brief also includes a large portion of public beach in Tigne. The brief is called the ‘The Fort Cambridge Area Development Brief’.
I feel this brief was probably produced in a hurry with the government keeping the option of giving it to whoever it wants – “the selection of the preferred developer by government. This will be based solely on financial considerations”. I believe that the minister might be sincere in this statement.
The brief is complete with the usual ‘cut and paste’ MEPA gibberish that is pasted on reports in building applications, but are these cuttings taken seriously or are they there to make the shameful hand-over of historic national heritage public land to private individuals look more technical?
MEPA ‘cuts and paste’ SP Policy BEN 2 where it states that “considering only land uses that are compatible with the surround heritage and environmental characteristics of planned adjacent uses and maintaining the good visual integrity of the area...”
Page 26 states that the area directly adjacent to the historic fort is being given the option of a height limitation of sixteen floors. Is a sixteen-floor building next to the historic heritage fort appropriate with the surround heritage and environmental characteristics of the fort?
What justification other than monetary, is there for a sixteen-floor building in an area that the local plan specifies six or seven stories for the neighbouring buildings?
Parts of the development brief seems to be geared only towards residential apartments which would make millions for the developer, even the types of apartments and the square meters are already determined in the brief.
If this is a residential development why does the brief include a beach concession? The brief states “in the event that the development is not for reuse as a hotel, it will be the prerogative of the government to assign the beach concession.”
Are the ministers now deciding to give public land with beach concessions to contractors to build private apartments? Has the government gone insane? Have they no regard for public land or beaches?
The development brief has already been approved by cabinet and is now at consultation stage. I feel that ‘public consultation’ with MEPA is a waste of time, in the past they have consulted with the public on one brief and then issued the developer with a different brief, to the detriment of the residents.
Martin J. De Bono
MLP Councillor
Sliema
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