Update with response from the Planning Authority below. The Planning Authority Board's decision to grant permits for high-rise towers at Mriehel and at Tigne in Sliema is strongly condemned by environment NGOs Din l-Art Helwa, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, and Ramblers Association.

In a joint statement today the eNGOs said, in spite of detailed and valid objections presented to them by residents, NGOs and experts in the field, the Board moved ahead to grant these controversial proposals submitted by Gasan and Tumas Groups.

"The Board was presented with irrefutable evidence that the Mriehel photomontages on which the Case Officer's report was based, were flawed in favour of the developers, and did not show the true impact of the project," the statement said.

"The visual impact on the iconic view of Mdina is clearly 'major' and not 'moderate' as described by the applicants' consultants. Instead of requesting new and updated visuals, the Board chose to base its decision on flawed information."The eNGOs stated that, "it is unfortunate that the Board representative of the Environment Authority was not present for the meeting and was not substituted, leaving a void which could have made a significant difference to the outcome. While his testimony confirming that the photomontages were incorrect was read out to the Board, it was completely ignored."

"The Board also refused to take account of the fact that the policy allowing tall buildings in Mriehel is invalid, as it violated established legal procedures. The inclusion of Mriehel as a high-rise zone was never issued for public consultation as required by Maltese as well as international law," the eNGOs added.

"This does not augur well for the expected deluge of 22 high rise applications, some of which are currently being discussed on a case-by-case basis, and proves the urgency of a national masterplan for high-rise buildings, before any other applications are processed."

The eNGOs went on to say that they are "astonished to hear Chris Borg, Director of Planning, declare that high-rise buildings have the same impact as low and medium rise, when it is well known that high-rise cast a longer shadow on surrounding buildings depriving them of light, air and solar rights, while increasing temperatures in surrounding streets due to heat canyon effect."

Tall building complexes impact communities by creating more parking problems, generating more noise and air pollution as well as construction waste due to the need for deeper foundations, and consume far more energy resources due to their dependence on several tall lifts, heating and chilling systems, said the eNGOs.

"As for the comprehensive studies claimed to be the basis of the Planning Authorities decisions, these were certainly conspicuous by their absence during the high-rise discussions,"

These projects will have unacceptable, massive and long-term implications for the residents of Sliema, Attard, Balzan, B'Kara and Sta Venera, as well as Maltese society as a whole.

Statement from the Planning Authority:

The Planning Authority referred to the joint statement made today by the eNGOs, in which, it said, "they misinterpret a comment made by the Authority's Director of Planning Perit Christopher Borg on high rise projects."

"In his comment to PBS, the Director of Planning Perit Christopher Borg was directly referring to the utilities services and pointed out that the impact that high rise buildings have on namely water, drainage and electricity is very much the same as low and medium rise buildings," the Authority said.

"This reality stems from the fact that if a site is developed as a high rise or as a low/medium rise, the same number or even less number of apartments, are developed."

The Planning Authority said that "a site which accommodates a high-rise building will have significantly more open spaces available to the public than a site which is developed in a conventional manner."

Photomontage of the Mriehel project as seen from Hastings, Valletta (top) presented to the PA, compared with a photomontage (below) using a 50mm lens which replicates the vision of the human eye more correctly.

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