Mriehel Towers will bring 1,362 more cars on Mdina Road

The erection of four high-rise towers at Mriehel is expected to result in a daily increase of 1,362 cars a day passing from Triq l-Imdina, according to the Environment Impact Statement on the impact of the proposed towers by Tumas and Gasan Groups.

The study shows that in the absence of the project, a daily average of 12,995 cars would pass daily along the eastern part of Mdina Road in 2019. This would increase to a daily 14,357 if the project is approved, an increase of 10%. 

Traffic is set to increase by 4% on the west part of Mdina Road (an extra 694 cars) and by a staggering 20% along Triq il-Merghat (an extra 668 cars). In total this would result in an extra daily 2724 cars along the three roads.

Despite the considerable increase in cars brought about by the project, studies concluded that there would be a “negligible” increase in fine dust particles and in nitrogen dioxide.

The project is to include a 975 sq.m supermarket, an 840 sq.m gym, a 700 sq.m showroom, 1,155 square metres of retail facilities, 930 square metres for conference facilities and an additional 1,000 square metres for retail.

It will also provide 1,065 car parking spaces occupying a massive 38,750 square-metre floor-space over five basement levels. The access by cars to the site will be from a new service road to be created within the site, along the southern boundary, and adjacent to Dawret l-Imriehel. 

This new road will link the existing service road on either side of the site, which extends the length of the southern boundary of the Mriehel industrial area. A separate service access will be provided off Triq L-Esportaturi.

The development will in total include four tower blocks of 15, 17, 19, and 14 storeys respectively, organised around a central piazza, and sitting on top of five basement levels. Elevated walkways and bridges will connect the four towers. 

Mriehel was originally not included among the locations where high-rise development can take place in a draft high-rise policy document issued for public consultation, and was included in the final document in the absence of any consultation.  Tumas and Gasan groups, who are also partners in the ElectroGas energy consortium which is set to provide Malta with natural gas for the next 18 years, applied for the Mriehel project a few months after the policy was enacted.

Offices for financial services

The Tumas and Gasan groups want to target companies operating primarily within the financial services sector that want to have their offices in the four towers, apart from providing a massive supermarket, a childcare centre and retail shops. 

Plans earmark a floor space of 33,000 square metres for office space.

One of the advantages of the Mriehel location is that the towers are in very close proximity to the Malta Financial Services Authority, as well as the headquarters of the main banks (Bank of Valletta and HSBC) and audit firms Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The environmental impact statement (EIS) claims that the financial services sector is generating a number of new employment opportunities due to the development of Malta as a reputable financial jurisdiction, and that there is a demand for appropriate, quality accommodation to facilitate expansion of the sector: “The scheme is proposed in direct response to the demand for new commercial office space.” 

The project is claimed will result in the creation of up to approximately 2,635 jobs.

Impact on landscape

Photomontages presented in the EIS indicate that the project will have little impact on views from Mdina. This was a major concern because Mriehel stands in the line of vision between Mdina and Valletta. Seen from il-Pjazza tas-Sur bastions in Mdina, the project results in a “barely noticeable change” and does “not break the skyline”, the study concludes. 

But the study fails to assess the impact of the project of views to Mdina from other localities which are in the same line of vision. 

Moreover the impact on landscape character is considered to be of “major significance” in relation to the character of the urban conurbation of central Malta, which includes densely populated towns like Birkirkara and Qormi: “The scheme will introduce a new feature to this landscape, which will contribute to the dense effect that the existing urban conurbation already exhibits.”

The impact on visual amenity is considered to be of major significance in relation to one view from Triq il-Hofor, to the southwest of the Scheme Site. The existing view from this pathway, with rubble walls flanking fields, is of a rural scene; the buildings from the Mriehel industrial area serve as a backdrop to the view. The scheme will affect a significant change to the view since it will interrupt the existing, relatively uniform height of the buildings in the backdrop.

Construction waste

The project will create a massive 166,900 cubic metres of construction waste, which will be excavated.

Due to its clay content, there is limited potential for the excavated rock to be reused as building stone, either on or off-site. But the EIS suggests that the material to be used as fill, in the restoration of exhausted quarries, and for the restoration of the quarries for agricultural use, since the material retains humidity. 

The EIS warns that that ‘any water coming into the site will make excavation conditions somewhat awkward and possibly difficult’. But a geotechnical report, has ascertained that the ground water level is much lower than the proposed excavation level. “However, if water percolates into the site, the contractor will have the responsibility of pumping it out, by means of bowser,” the study states. 

Energy and water use

The project will have an estimated annual electricity consumption of approximately 7,000 megawatt-hours – the equivalent to the average consumption of 1,500 people.

Photovoltaic panels installed on site are envisaged will produce approximately 70,000 kWh of electricity to be consumed by the project.

Enemalta has advised the developers that the existing 11KV system, which currently serves the Mriehel industrial area is not sufficient to absorb any significant additional load. Enemalta is currently seeking to address this through the installation of a new distribution centre in the area, and has confirmed that this will be available to supply the project by June 2019, when it is envisaged that the project will come into operation.

The project has been designed to incorporate a number of environmental control systems, and the development will be LEED (Gold Standard) certified. The design of the project will maximise passive heat ventilation and natural lighting

The daily water consumption at full occupation is estimated to be 109,600 litres, but rainwater falling on roofs, bridges, walkways and open ground will be collected and reused, while water-saving devices will be installed throughout the complex and collected rainwater as grey water for flushings.

Photomontage showing view from Triq il-Hofor.