Council too busy to attend MEPA hearing on Gzira waterfront

Gzira’s Labour mayor justifies council’s absence from MEPA board meeting and declares agreement with lido development

“We all had other commitments and could not be present at the meeting,” mayor Roberto Cristiano told MaltaToday when asked why nobody from the Gzira council was present for the meeting in which MEPA took the decision to approve a lido along the town’s waterfront.

The project, which includes two 160-square metre restaurants, is being proposed by four hotels in Gzira, spearheaded by Bayview hotel owner and secretary-general of the Malta Developers Association, Michael Stivala. 

Cristiano denied claims made by Stivala during the meeting that a number of pool memberships will be given to the council to distribute to Gzira residents.

Cristiano, a former GWU official who was recently appointed head of human resources at Air Malta after having served in the same role at Enemalta, expressed agreement with the project. 

The Gzira council withdrew its earlier objection after the project was entirely located on reclaimed land. “Since no space will be taken away from the existing promenade, we agree with the project,” Cristiano said.

When asked whether he is concerned by the fact that pedestrians will only be able to walk along the sea on a two-metre wide walkway – the space required by two people walking side by side, Cristiano replied that the project also includes a public playground which will be open to the public. He also noted that the lido will only stretch along a part of the promenade.

The absence of the council from the meeting led to a rebuke by MEPA chairman Vince Cassar.

The council’s absence was noted when a MEPA board member asked the developer to explain a statement found in the case officer’s report which suggested that Gzira residents would be given free access to parts of the lido.

When asked, hotelier Stivala confirmed that certain areas of the project will be accessible for free to Gzira residents but he could not specify which areas and services will be free, apart from a number of pool memberships for the Gzira council (for the use of residents).

But Cristiano denied that anyone in the council had ever been offered free pool memberships for residents.  

“In meetings we had with the developers we simply insisted that the project should be a win-win situation for all, including pedestrians who use the promenade irrespective of whether they are from Gzira or not.” 

Cristiano claimed the fact that the project includes a play area for children shows that parts of the project will be accessible to the public.

He also expressed satisfaction that a two-metre walkway along the lido has been introduced as this would also serve as access to the sea for boat owners.

The project will also result in a shortfall of 46 parking spaces along the Gzira strand. 

Asked whether he is concerned at this, Cristiano replied that the parking problem in the locality goes beyond the parking spaces needed by the new development.

“Every house which is demolished to make way for apartments or office blocks takes away more parking spaces.” He also claimed that the absence of public open spaces in Gzira makes the development of new car parks difficult.

During the Thursday MEPA board meeting which approved the development of the lido, board member and NGO representative Alex Vella warned that the already precarious parking situation along the Gzira strand could worsen.

The new lido will consist of a swimming pool and two restaurants on 2,300 square metres of reclaimed land.

Vella noted that while the case officer report referred to a shortfall of 14 parking spaces, the same report specified that the two restaurants would require 14 parking spaces for staff and an additional 32 spaces for restaurant patrons. 

Since these additional parking needs cannot be accommodated on site, the developers will be asked to make a contribution to the Urban Improvement Fund.  

Representatives of MEPA’s directorate explained that the 32 spaces required for restaurant patrons were not included because the restaurants were being proposed as an amenity for the four Gzira hotels proposing the application.

But as Vella pointed out, the restaurants will be open for the public and won’t cater for the hotel residents only.  

The MEPA officials present justified this by saying that when restaurants are located within hotels the parking impact of non-visitors who use hotel facilities is not calculated.

Moreover MEPA chief executive Johann Buttigieg insisted that rather than attracting new visitors to the area the restaurants will attract passers by who would have frequented the area anyway.

Project architect Edwin Mintoff pointed out that the public playground proposed in the development would also create more demand for parking but no one was objecting to it.  

“Using the same argument about the impact of restaurants on parking we should not include more public spaces like the playground,” Mintoff said.

Vella rebutted this, arguing that the playground will also serve as an amenity for the clients of the two restaurants who can leave children playing while having a snack.