Heritage NGO Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar today “vehemently” condemned the proposed AUM extension in the heart of Cottonera.

The application proposes three new  5-storey blocks taking up the remaining open space in the Dock 1 area and extensive alterations to the Knights’ building, as part of an extension to the AUM campus. 

The proposal will effectively lead to the complete loss of the only remaining public open spaces around Dock 1 and the privatization of the Cottonera Waterfront through its piecemeal conversion into a private university campus, FAA said.  

Speaking on behalf of FAA, Perit Tara Cassar noted that “The unique historic waterfront should be regarded as part of the public realm providing the locality with value, identity and respite from the dense urban cores that characterise the Three Cities. It is essential that they are retained and protected for the enjoyment of the public.”

The NGO maintained that these public open spaces should not simply be handed over to investors for private commercial use.

“To add insult to injury the developers intend on demolishing most of the Knights’ building to accommodate more floor area for the private campus. FAA maintains that such a building in this historical and visually sensitive area should be restored and rehabilitated through best practice and not simply bulldozed to make way for incompatible uses to the detriment of cultural heritage.”
FAA also warned that the proposal will also “seriously compromise” views towards and around the Senglea Gate and Bastions which should be safeguarded given their cultural significance and protected status within an Area of High Landscape Value.

“Through the acquisition and complete loss of the remaining open spaces around the Dock 1 area and the unacceptable destruction of our cultural heritage, this application is an example of a poorly conceived proposal that will have a direct detrimental impact on the liveability, amenity and public health of the Three Cities and must be refused by the PA,” the NGO said.