Graffitti slams 'sheer madness' of wanting more floors for Paceville tower

Moviment Graffitti has slammed an application to add a further seven floors to a planned tower in Paceville.

The new environmental impact assessment report revealed the 40-floor building will cast morning shadows on homes in Swieqi and Paceville and cause “irreversible” changes to panoramic views from other parts of the island. 

The report, prepared by consulting firm @econsulting, updates a previous impact assessment into two development applications linked to the project, approved in 2022 and 2023.  

Since then, project developer Paul Xuereb has applied to enlarge the project’s footprint and raise the tower’s height from its previously approved 33 floors to 40 storeys (PA 4313/25), triggering a new impact assessment. 

If the revised proposal is approved, the tower will become Malta's highest building.

Despite the report noting that the tower will cast residential homes  in the shade, analysts concluded that the impact on residential areas will be low "given the limited temporal duration” of the shadows.   

Moviment Graffitti said the plans were yet more evidence of developers’ “state-sponsored” greed, and made a mockery of the planning system through piecemeal applications. 

“Tall buildings do not only affect the site and its immediate surroundings; they have far-reaching consequences linked to the sudden, exponential increase in activity they generate. For example, infrastructure is increasingly overwhelmed by high-density developments, leading to problems with traffic and sewage outflows,” the NGO said. 

The proposal was “sheer madness”, activists said, noting that large-scale projects continued to be imposed on the already highly congested areas of St Julian’s, Swieqi and Pembroke, when it was evident that these localities were struggling to cope. 

“Unfortunately, the message developers have repeatedly received from government is that they may build without respect for the environment or the common good. Projects such as this serve only the private interests of developers and prop up an unsustainable economic model.” 

The NGO reiterated its call for a moratorium on large-scale projects until a national, holistic masterplan is put  in place - “one that determines whether such developments can be accommodated and, if so, where.”

Council to discuss position 

St Julian’s mayor Guido Dalli said the council would meet next week to decide the way forward.  

Swieqi mayor Noel Muscat said the council was concerned that so much development was taking place in the area without a carrying capacity study or masterplan in place.  

“We cannot consider each development in isolation. Instead, we must look at the overall holistic picture. The area has literally been raped and what was once a beautiful valley has been turned into a concrete jungle. I cannot imagine the horrendous effect that all the planned developments will have on this already overdeveloped and chaotic zone which has very poor accessibility,” Muscat said. 

Following the impact assessment, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) will have to decide whether to greenlight the revised project.  

The tower on Triq Santu Wistin and Triq Elija Zammit is set to include residential apartments, a hotel with rooftop bar, as well as office space and commercial outlets. It will also feature an open piazza at ground level.