Bring Tigné to Naxxar or area will look like housing estate – developer Jean Borg

The developer of 10-storey project at the Naxxar trade fair area has claimed he wants a Tigné-style project, or face having to “build the whole area... with a horrid building looking like a government housing estate”.

Jean Borg’s words came at the end of a planning meeting on his controversial development, just 70m away from the Grade 1 schedule Palazzo Parisio and the Naxxar urban conservation area.

Project architect Christian Spiteri said Borg could have opted for a “conventional” sprawl of 30 low-rise blocks with limited public open space; and that high-rise was the only way to retain more open space. He claimed the project was inspired by artist Esprit Barthet’s depiction of the Maltese skyline.

A decision on the project, one of three on the former trade fair grounds, was postponed after Planning Authority board chairman Vince Cassar – who previously criticised the suitability of high-rise in the area – asked the developers whether they were willing to change plans in view of widespread opposition.

A social impact assessment has shown 74% of Naxxar is against the 113-residential unit block, which will have a 253-space underground garage, together with supermarket, restaurants, offices, day-care centre and gymnasium.

Despite the widespread opposition, including that of PA board members, the project was defended by the PA’s executive chairman Martin Saliba.

Saliba said the project was the result of months of discussions between the PA and the developers, and warned the area will face the same traffic impact with a conventional development that lacks open spaces.

“We are going towards something innovative, rather than the usual mediocrity,” Saliba said, describing the project as balanced.

But Saliba was immediately rebuked by the NGOs’ board representative Annick Bonello, who insisted that the main concern should be sustainability and the preservation of the UCA, not the work done by the developers.  PA board chairman Vince Cassar praised the design but expressed doubts whether the scale was suitable.

Naxxar mayor Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami asked: “How can we approve a monstrosity next to the UCA?”, warning of the project’s visibility from the recently-restored historical windmill of Naxxar.

Naxxar is not identified as a high-rise site, and ‘medium rise’ developments of up to 10 storeys are allowed on sites of over 4,000sq.m surrounded by existing or proposed streets. No such development is allowed inside UCAs, or high-lying areas like Naxxar which is 126m above sea level.

Andre Callus, on behalf of Movement Graffitti, objected to the “creation of new town imposed on existing communities”, simply because of the whim of the developers, bringing about a change in the daily life of existing residents, and describing it as an “invasion” rather than an organic growth of the community. 

He said approval would represent a failure of the planning system. “It is self-evident that the imposition of four towers consisting of 115 new apartments being transplanted on Naxxar is an act of madness… You are simply taking away the serenity of residents. The board is obliged to respect thousands of residents rather than imposing the dictatorship of developers.”

Astrid Vella, from Flimkien għal-Ambjent Aħjar, insisted that the project is in breach of the Floor Area Ratio policy which mandates tall buildings to be restricted to a 25m contour above sea level. “Discussing this project is simply a waste of time,” she said – Vince Cassar noted that this concern was justified.

All residents who spoke lamented the project’s visual and traffic impact.

John Charles Betts said the incremental impact of the different projects for the area was not being assessed comprehensively. Maria Portelli, who lives next to the development, said the project’s greenwashing by the architect was “a slap in the face”, arguing that the creation of open space between tower blocks was no gain for residents. “Please don’t ignore us on a project which will impact us for the rest of our lives.”

Both the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage and the PA’s own cultural heritage advisory committee warned of the massive visual impact on the urban skylines of Mosta and Naxxar when viewed from various viewpoints, such as Mdina. “The impact is such as to challenge the scenic significance of the parish churches of Mosta and Naxxar... the massive volume as proposed will also dwarf the historical chapel of St. Jacob the Apostle and will divorce it totally from the context, obliterating its legibility,” the Superintendence said.

Despite of the numerous objections from the public, the Planning Authority’s case officer recommended its approval claiming its “innovative design” will contribute to the “evolution of further interesting buildings in the area” and more outdoor spaces for both residents and the wider neighbourhood.

Borg fronts  SPTT Properties Limited, a company that includes Dutch business group Wygron Beheer, hotelier Ian Decesare’s Sonnet Inv, Ab Initio Limited, JND properties, L.A. Developments, J&J Holdings, IN Space, as well as other independent property owners and also legal consultants.