[WATCH] Sliema council warns of ERA’s ‘minimal influence’ on final planning decisions

Sliema mayor warns authority has little impact on final planning decisions • Video by Chris Mangion

A “positive” meeting was held this morning between the Sliema councillors and Victor Axiak, the chairman of the Environment and Resources Authority, and the authority’s chief environmental officer.

The meeting was called by the local council to raise a number of issues related to the large number of development applications being submitted in the locality.

Mayor Anthony Chircop said that the council had also requested a meeting with the Planning Authority, but no reply was forthcoming.

The council raised three main points with the ERA: they said that the development applications accepted over the last three weeks alone would generate the need for another 184 parking spaces in Sliema.

This, they said, will negatively impact air quality as a result of drivers having to spend more time looking for parking. 

The council also pointed out that there was already a problem with waste disposal, and this was only getting worse.

Councillor Paul Radmilli said that a large number of developments taking place involve extensions to existing apartment blocks.

“Because of this, there is no requirement for these blocks to have internal waste collection facilities with the result that all garbage bags are thrown out onto the pavement until they are collected,” he said.

Radmilli said that the third point raised concerns the collection of rainwater: “A developer has the obligation to include plans for the collection and storing of rainwater; yet most plans do not include space for a reservoir.”

Asked about comments made by PA lawyer Robert Abela, that the council, the ERA or local councils do not have the right to appeal the PA's decision, Chircop said that he hopes that it was just a misunderstanding.

"We thought that the demerger would be a positive step. If the decision goes against the spirit of the law it would be worrying," Chircop said.

Councilor Michael Briguglio added that he could not understand how the PA argued that they did not have a right to appeal.

"If it turns out that the ERA can't appeal decision this will negatively impact every application," he said.