Ministry rebuts claim over high-rise buildings

The Environment Ministry has strongly denied a claim by the spokesman for Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar that the local plans gave the go-ahead for high-rise buildings to go up in Sliema's back streets.

On the contrary, the permissible building heights across the town were retained and, in some instances, heights were reduced, the ministry said.

The ministry was replying to comments made by Astrid Vella in the article Prospects Of Unsold Apartments in yesterday's The Times.

The local plan only permits building heights in excess of three floors for streets which, over the years, established a predominant height of four or five floors, the ministry said. "One point Ms Vella chose to ignore totally is the fact that local plan policy NHSJ06 allows for an additional floor over two storey town houses, with the strict proviso that the house remains a single residential unit.

"This was done specifically to encourage residents to create a suitable residential unit without redeveloping the property into an increased number of units."

With reference to the planned development in Sliema's Don Rua Street, it should be noted that outline permits were approved prior to the issue of the local plan, the ministry said.

The permits allowing for two additional floors over the existing two floors were issued on condition that the façade was to be retained, the ministry underlined.