Freedom of information request on land reclamation denied

A freedom of information request for the publication of submissions made by the Tumas Group proposing land reclamation at Portomaso since 2013, has been rejected by the Planning Authority, which has claimed that this would impact negatively on negotiations between the government and the Portomaso owners.

The land reclamation proposal is included in the controversial masterplan for Paceville, which according to the PA “incorporated” proposals made by business groups and owners of nine different sites in Paceville.

No formal application has been presented for development on the Portomaso site, but the Tumas Group has presented pre-submission proposals.

Moreover a land reclamation proposal at Portomaso was also made to the Government Property Division in 2013, when a call for expressions of interest in land reclamation projects was submitted in 21 different sites.

According to the Planning Authority, the request cannot be accepted for any disclosure of these documents under the FOI Act which “would, or could reasonably be expected to have a substantial adverse effect on the conduct of negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations) by or on behalf of the Government or another public authority”.

MaltaToday will contest the FOI decision.

The Paceville masterplan, developed by consultants Mott MacDonald, says this area has a potential for land reclamation because of the relatively shallow sea, and that a sensitive development approach would be required for this site because of its proximity to a marine protected area.

The area is known to be rich in sea grasses that are protected by the European Union’s Habitats Directive. 

The PA has insisted that the land reclamation proposal will have to pass through various assessments, including a Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) on the whole plan and a subsequent Environment Impact Assessment if the project is retained after the SEA.

Most of the new development proposed on reclaimed land at Portomaso will consist of hotel development, which means an additional floor space 67,456 square metres. 

Development on reclaimed land can rise up to 15 floors.

This would see Portomaso’s existing 117,679 square metres of residential development increase by 4,113 square metres. Office space will only increase by 427 square metres from the current 12,203 square metres.

But at 234,000 square metres, Portomaso will remain the largest development site in Paceville, through the addition of another 72,080 square metres.

It will also see an extra 650 hotel guests (24% of the projected additional number of tourists in all Paceville) but only 62 new residents and 18 new employees.

Another request for the publication of submissions presented by the owners of the nine development sites included in the masterplan was also rejected because information on the “use and floor space” of additional development has already been presented in parliament.

This information does not consist in the submissions made by developers but consists in the additional floor area and uses granted to each developer in the master plan.

The PA has published formal submissions presented by residents, NGOs and owners of other sites on its website during a public consultation period conducted before the master plan was drafted.