Fortina hotel site to get 109 residential flats, tower to rise by five floors

Nationalist Party MP Marthese Portelli has voted against the Fortina hotel development on the basis that the high-rise project was not surrounded by four streets, demanded by the policy.

Portelli, who is the Opposition's representative on the board, said the developers had referred to a “hypothetical street” to justify the project, which will see the existing tower increase by five floors and the old Fortina site being transformed into 109 residential apartments.

Sliema councillor John Pillow and NGO representative Annick Bonello also voted against.

The case officer acknowledged that the site where the floor area ratio policy mechanism was applied is not surrounded by four streets but insisted that the aims of the policy had been achieved since the 50 per cent of the site would be an open space.

The project architect emphasised that the height of the project would be in line with that of Fort Cambridge and will serve as a transition from lower to higher buildings.

Land deed

The project was approved, with the Planning Authority chairman Vince Cassar and chief executive Johann Buttigieg, rejecting appeals for the publication of the original deed granting public land to the Fortina developers.

They insisted the PA had no remit on civil matters.

Residents claimed that the deed limited development behind the spa area to four floors. This was confirmed by a case officer report for another development in 1998.

A photomontage of the how the Fortina project will look

Sliema councillor Paul Radmilli insisted the deed should be published before a decision was taken.

But the developer’s lawyer insisted that the land is private and the planning board had no jurisdiction on civil matters between the government and the developer.

Buttigieg said the Lands Authority “as owner of the land” gave its clearance for the application and that the PA had no remit on third party rights.
Unimpressed, Radmilli warned against a repetition of the Gaffarena scandal where administrative procedures were respected but the law was still breached.

Traffic impact
The traffic impact assessment for the Fortina development warns that car trips will increase by 620 a day in peak hours. However, it concluded that the impact was negligible.

Radmilli pointed out that this will take place in one of Malta’s most heavily congested areas. He dismissed the conclusion of the traffic impact assessment.
The cases officer insisted that the project will have an over-provision of more than 200 parking spaces thus reducing congestion in the area.

But Radmilli reminded the PA board that when exempting residential developments in the same area from providing parking spaces it had always argued that more parking would encourage more cars.

Buttigieg insisted that some areas required a spare capacity of parking spaces even if the PA favoured a modal shift.
Sliema resident Joe Grech described “living in earthquake zone” since the start of demolition works.

Read also: Fortina project: Approved in 10 months, 31 months to complete

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