Alternattiva Demokratika said today that it considers that MEPA’s Tall building policy which identifies localities and the permissible parameters for the development of buildings considered as tall buildings (higher than 10 floors) as well as buildings of medium height (up to ten floors in height) should have been subjected to a Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA).

This was stated by Carmel Cacopardo, AD Deputy Chairperson and Spokesperson on Sustainable Development and Home Affairs. He said, “whilst it is acknowledged that the said Planning Policy Guide identifies a number of suitable design parameters which should guide the assessment of applications for this type of development.”

He added, “AD notes that this policy has not been subjected to a Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) such that its environmental impacts are identified and acted upon. This, in the opinion of AD, may put into question the validity of the final policy document published by MEPA.”

“AD,” continued Cacopardo, “acknowledges that the applicability of this policy document will be mostly directed at the regeneration of sites containing dilapidated or under-utilised properties which lie outside the historic cores and UCAs as well as outside Residential Priority Areas. However the designated areas to which this policy will be applied are too vast, a fact acknowledged by the policy document itself when stating that additional studies are required relevant to the identified sites.”

Cacopardo stated that “whilst the MEPA policy guideline identifies the studies that will be required in accessing applications for the development of tall and medium buildings, most of these studies, including environmental studies and strict criteria against shadowing of residential properties, should have been applied prior to the determination of the policy document. As a result a number of the localities identified as designated areas would not have been included.”

Cacopardo concluded: “AD considers that the policy document should have been more restrictive by limiting the development of tall and medium buildings to those zones requiring regeneration. This would have be an incentive for the building industry to mop-up and re-develop substandard and dilapidated properties outside Urban Conservation Areas.”

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