|
James Debono
As the Easter tourist season commences, a tower crane still stands next to the Preluna Hotel in a prime tourist area, three years after construction work started.
The crane, higher than the lofty Preluna itself, is negatively affecting tourism in the area due to what many hotel guests regard as a visual disturbance, Joe Preca claims, the hotel’s chief executive.
The Preluna Hotel is now threatening judicial action against both the Sliema local council and Polidano Brothers if the crane is not removed.
Charles Polidano however told MaltaToday the crane is still there three years after the commencement of works, because the block is not completed yet. “There is some tiling to be made and the last roof is still unfinished,” says the construction magnate.
Polidano had applied to install the crane in May 2003. According to a MEPA spokesperson the permit, just like any other permit for temporary cranes, is only valid for six months.
In March 2006, Polidano reapplied for a temporary erection of the crane on the same site where the original crane still lies despite the expiry of the six months permit. Polidano had also applied to construct additional flats over the same block of apartments for whose construction the crane was used.
Irked by the visual disturbance, Joe Preca has written to the Sliema council requesting the removal of the crane. In his letter Preca claims that the construction of the building was completed three months ago and that the crane has since been idle for most of the time, used infrequently to carry up material to go underneath the tiles.
“This work can be carried out by a mobile crane,” Preca said. In his letter to the council, Preca says that unless the council removes the crane, “we will be left with no alternative but to seek judicial proceedings and hold both the council and the developer responsible for damages.”
Sliema mayor Marina Arrigo told MaltaToday she would like the crane removed as soon as possible but claims that the council cannot act because the crane is covered by a MEPA permit.
Preca contends that his hotel has suffered due to loss of bookings and compensations for what some visitors describe as a visual disturbance. “The hotel has tried in vain to have it removed, Preca said, who is also concerned that the developer has applied to erect further floors, meaning a longer stay for the crane.
“When tour operators ask our hotel when the crane is to be removed, we are unable to reply. This means that any potential guest to our hotel is told by the travel agency beforehand that there is this disturbance, ” Preca told MaltaToday.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
|
