Heritage and environment group Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) welcomes the decision to reduce the height of the Drugs Court building and urges the MEPA boards to ensure that the negative impact of the additional floors is reversed completely.
In order to avoid a repeat of such cases, the existing regulatory frameworks must be respected while the missing structures need to be created. FAA urges the authorities to take this opportunity to establish once and for all, building height limitations for Valletta, Floriana, Mdina and the Three Cities. Meanwhile, the MEPA Board must ensure that all existing policies and regulations are taken into account, especially when the Case Officer’s recommendation is being overturned. Significant funds and aggravation would be saved if suitable modelling of building projects were carried out and assessed during the decision-taking process.
FAA is concerned that the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage are not being consulted on all cases of a sensitive nature, especially those located in Valletta, Floriana, Mdina and the Three Cities. Moreover site inspections by these bodies are essential to make a realistic assessment of the impact that proposed works are likely to have. It should be made obligatory that in all sensitive urban conservation areas, the input of the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee and of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage is taken into account in the final decision.
If these measures were to be implemented, this regrettable case would at least have a positive outcome.
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