Authority limits building height to five storeys

The Housing Authority's board has decided not to build any higher than five storeys (six in exceptional cases).

Housing Authority chairman Marisa Micallef Leyson said this decision was taken for a number of reasons.

"The first and most important is that the Housing Authority does not want to create ghettos where many social problems begin to perpetuate themselves.

"Bearing in mind the fact that there are many vacant properties on the island which can be utilised, there is no real need for high-rise buildings," she said in a statement.

The Housing Authority also felt that the decision was important for environmental and aesthetical reasons. The idea is for the buildings to be in harmony with other buildings in the region, particularly older buildings, it said.

The authority will be announcing its next issue consisting of the sale of 195 properties on October 18.