Manoel island: Decision postponed amidst heritage concerns

The Planning Authority has postponed its decision on final plans for the development of three massive apartment block of 323 apartments in Manoel Island.

It has asked the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage to clarify whether the project will impinge on a proposed buffer zone for Valletta.

In a statement issued yesterday Moviment Graffitti and Flimkien Għal Ambjent Ahjar raised concern that approval would infringe on the designation of a buffer zone meant to protect vistas of Valletta.

In a statement issued yesterday Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar and Moviment Graffitti questioned why the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage was not calling for a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for the MIDI project, despite it being located within the Valletta buffer zone.

According to the NGOs, approval of the project without considering its impact on the Valletta buffer zone proposed by the Culture Ministry would be a slap in the face to UNESCO and jeopardise Valletta’s status, two organisations warned on Wednesday.

They said that the board is “ignoring the fact” that the latest plans are significantly different to those approved in the outline development permit covered by an Environmental Impact Assessment prepared in 2021.

The final plans which were recommended for approval by the case officer envisage new buildings over a 20,400sq.m footprint roughly covering an area the size of three football pitches. MIDI’s new buildings will now take up 7.3% of the islet, up from 6% or 16,553sq.m in the former plans of three years ago.

While the latest plans have excluded development on archeologically sensitive areas, they still foresee a considerable 10,125sq.m increase in gross floor area of apartments when compared to the masterplan. And while public spaces will be reduced by 5,000sq.m, private open spaces will be increased by 12,500sq.m.

MaltaToday is informed that nearly 800 emails have been sent out this morning by the public to the Prime Minister, the leader of the opposition,various Ministers and shadow ministers,the MIDI board members and the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage reminding them of their past responsibilities as part of a “mangled web that is robbing us of our quality of life” and calling for the return of the land to the public.

“Past mistakes of land privatisation should not serve to justify destruction today… Manoel Island can be returned to the public,” the email reads.