[WATCH] Elegy for Sliema: ‘Skyscraper will ruin skyline, create traffic chaos’

Vox Pop: Sliema residents in opposition to Townsquare tower • Video by Raphael Farrugia

A walk along the Sliema front may soon never be the same again, with the view along its coast set to be dominated by what will become Malta’s tallest tower. And residents and visitors who spoke to MaltaToday are all too aware of the problems that the 38-storey Townsquare will pose for the town.

“I disagree with the tower, as it will require too many infrastructural changes to the drainage system and the electricity network and will create heavy traffic congestion,” John Agius said from a bench in Tower Road. “Also, a tower like that will cast a shadow on other buildings and spoil the view for people. I don’t think it’s adequate that a tower be built in Sliema that is already so congested with people.”

By his side, Leonard Callus nods in agreement at his friend’s arguments.

“I agree with what [John] said, that it will create infrastructural and traffic problems. They could have built the tower in another place, but not Sliema.”

Indeed, the infrastructure, the traffic and the skyline were the most frequently cited reasons as objection to the project.  

Anthony Licari, Malta’s ambassador to Slovakia, looked towards the skyline above the Qui Si Sana coast as he spoke to MaltaToday.

“I understand the arguments posed by people in favour of building skyscrapers, and I have a very balanced opinion to the whole issue. However, I lean towards the opposition against skyscrapers principally because they ruin the skyline. Sliema used to be full of lovely villas, and the town has become less beautiful ever since all these many-storey buildings started rising.” 

George Scerri speaks with a similar air of nostalgia about the Sliema from times gone by, harking back to the days when the town’s only buildings were a maximum of two storeys.

“Now it’s all towers and the air has become enclosed.”

He also warned that the Townsquare project could harm business in Sliema, as it will aggravate the town’s already notorious parking problem.

“Yes, the project will include a car park but residents will also make use of it so it will always be full up,” he said of the project’s proposed underground car park that will cater for 748 vehicles. “I foresee that shops will eventually see their business declining.”

Elsewhere, Dennis Demanuele – a taxi driver who works in Sliema – warned that the project will create a traffic nightmare in the surrounding streets.

 “Traffic is already bad as it is, and the project will only make matters worse,” he said.

Doris Cutajar, a Maltese-Australian who returned to her place of birth on holiday, said that such projects will eventually see Sliema resemble Surfers’ Paradise, a suburb on the Queensland coast characterized by high-rise buildings.

“It’s just concrete over concrete over concrete…these buildings around the coast are all high-rise compared to what I was used to when I was younger,” she said. “High-rise buildings are spoiling the beauty of the Sliema bay, and [the Townsquare tower] will be an eyesore, a huge monster that will cast a shadow on all other buildings. Malta is already over-populated; we don’t need high-rise.”

Erno Szakalos, a Hungarian busker who was been living in Malta for a few years, said that the island’s beauty lies in its “authenticity”.

“The unique thing about Malta was that you could basically walk through history. It’s still nice of course, but [high-rise buildings] make it seem as though it just wants to copy Western countries.”

Other Sliema residents who were approached by MaltaToday but who refused to be filmed also criticised the Townsquare project. Nobody who spoke to the paper had anything positive to say about the proposed development. 

The Townsquare project, which will be developed by the Gasan Group, was narrowly approved by the Planning Authority last week. It will be comprised of 159 residential units, 4,719 square metres of offices, 8,241 square metres of commercial space and 748 parking spaces. It is set to become Malta’s tallest building, dwarfing the 23-floor Portomaso tower. The decision has been harshly criticised by environmental NGOs and the Sliema local council, the latter of which is set to appeal the decision at the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal.