Pender Place plans make residents see red

Residents of The Gardens in St Julians are up in arms after learning about the outline development application filed at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority with regard to the Pender Place and Mercury House sites.

An action committee, set up to inspect the proposed plans, was "shocked to learn of the extent and intensity of the development, which sets out to milk every square metre of the space available in the public car park".

The property was recently sold to private investors by Maltacom, committee members said.

Plans revealed a four-storey car park and "closely packed" residences, rising from seven to even 14 storeys above ground level.

The residents believe the "mammoth overdevelopment" of the area, which, they maintain, was always earmarked for detached and semi-detached two-storey houses, would "alter the environment of the peaceful, residential area and change it into the fringe of a high-rise metropolis, with its parking spill-off, pollution and disruption".

The residents of The Gardens intend to object to the outline development application or to insist on having it "scaled down considerably," they said.

The support of the St Julians local council is being sought to object to the development, which, it is claimed, would only "serve to transport the congestion and hustle and bustle of Paceville closer to the doorsteps of the residents".

An elderly resident, who has been living in The Gardens for the past 50 years, said the development shows no respect for the environment of the area, which, for the last half century, has enjoyed relative peace and quiet.

"Mepa should reject the development if it wants to be consistent with its own zoning policies. It is ridiculous to have to hassle over obtaining a permit for building a washroom on the roof of your two-storey house when at the back of your garden is a monster the authority has approved," he said.

Another resident complained that the situation had recently taken a turn for the worse on weekend nights when Paceville revellers, returning to their cars in the early hours of the morning, cause mayhem in an otherwise peaceful area.

"Imagine what it would be like with the many new residents, office employees and customers, swarming around to park in the area," he continued.

The irate residents intend to petition the political parties to take a stand on what they consider to be the "constant moving of the goal posts, where planning permits are concerned".

"Until there is a firm commitment from the powers that be to respect zoning policies, no property in Malta can be safe from the clutches of insensitive developers and architects," an angry resident said.