High-rise space just like Pjazza Regina, Pascucci café pleads

High-rise projects are sold to Maltese communities as a way of creating public, open urban spaces around towers. But what happens when these spaces are finally approved?

That is the fate of Gzira’s 14 East, a 22-storey tower whose ‘public open space’ is the contested site for 160 square metres of al fresco table space for Café Pascucci, one the DIZZ group’s food companies.

The Planning Authority has declared that the café tables are excessive and an obstruction to pedestrians.

The PA’s floor area ratio (FAR) policy says tall buildings must provide “high quality, public open space” within the site, not less than 50% of the area proper, and must also be deemed a planning gain for the community.

For 14 East’s three-sided area, its 890sq.m of open space has some 195 sq.m of its roofed. But this particular area’s use was never determined when the tower was approved back in 2015.

When permitting was requested for the “roofed” open space to become Pascucci’s space, the PA refused, saying it detracted the quality of the open space; and failing to keep a 1.5m passageway for pedestrians.

Additionally, the seating area had created a demand for 16 new parking spaces not catered for by the project.

DIZZ has appealed the decision, claiming it sets a precedent against al fresco tables and chairs in high-rise open spaces. It even argued that “FAR public spaces” are being seen differently to historically public and scheduled piazzas like Pjazza Regina in Valletta. “[Chairs and tables offer] a positive contribution to street life [and] draw people in the area.”