I have been a Sliema resident for the past 25 years ever since I attended elementary school in the heart of Sliema. I can still recall the picturesque view of the two-storey, neatly aligned houses overlooking what is now the Independence Garden. The symmetry, style and architectural elegance of those buildings built in the early 20th century, at a time when aesthetic and environmental consciousness was a topic probably unheard of, contrasts deeply with the haphazard manner the eight-storey or so structures, which have replaced the character of Sliema, were built.

The view is not pleasing anymore. A once quaint town has been ruined and stripped naked of its style, heritage and whatever it had that made Sliema, Sliema. It has become more commonly known as the “uglification” of Sliema.

But unfortunately, we (or rather the politicians) have not learnt the lesson yet. The “uglification” has become uglier by permitting even higher structures to be built, by eliminating the few open spaces available, by swallowing up any freedom for its inhabitants and by cramming in more people.

We have ended up prisoners in our own homes because the pollution from both construction and vehicular emissions is overwhelming. We cannot let our children play in the streets (I wonder why 20 per cent of children are obese). Now we cannot even see the sun rise and sunsets anymore (or the sun at all if I may say so), as this has become a privilege for those who can buy exorbitantly priced property in strategic places on the Sliema periphery.

Politicians are allowing massive development projects to take place all in the interest of whom? Certainly not the residents. They have crammed the tip of Sliema with as many apartments as possible, they have raised the town peripheral buildings to ever increasing heights and they have stolen from us the breathing space provided by private gardens in the middle of each building block.

And what have the residents got – “un bel niente”. They have removed “sliem” from Sliema as they took just away “pace” from Paceville. In all these instances the Sliema residents have never gained and neither have the residents of neighbouring towns. And moreover, any changes done in Sliema will have a knock-down effect on all its neighbouring towns.

Construction projects

One has to keep in mind that at the moment there are the following major projects going on or planned for the near future: the Midi project in Tigne Point, the Cambridge project and Town Square in Qui-si-Sana, an added car park with facilities under Qui-si-Sana gardens, the Galaxy complex project in the heart of Sliema. Then on its doorstep there are the Midi Manoel Island project, the Savoy Gardens (what gardens!?) and a reference to a high-rise building next to the Gzira stadium. One must not forget the hundreds if not thousands of houses that are being pulled down to make way for four or more residential units.

Most of the former dwellings which had a yard or a sizeable garden were either uninhabited or occupied by elderly people who did not own a car. Young couples or families with an average of 2.5 cars per apartment are purchasing these new units.

The current situation

In addition to the residential units there is also the commercial aspect that all these mega projects will breed – namely shops, offices and entertainment facilities. Sliema and its surroundings today are already inundated with visitors from all around the island, and this situation is already causing chaos. Now imagine what all these new developments will add to this.

All this populace has to enter and leave Sliema, which will cause a gridlock in the traffic system day and night. It will be like Valletta in the morning and Paceville at night. And what about the already over stretched infrastructure providing basic necessities to the area, namely water, electrical power supply and the sewer system. And what about the residents? Has any one thought of them?

Until all these projects are completed, the residents have to put up with construction pollution for many many years. The Midi Tigne and Manoel Island projects, for example, have been going on for more than 10 years and are still a long way from completion.

Pollution includes incessant noise for the immediate residents from the early hours of the morning till late afternoon, probably seven days a week, together with the vibrations accompanying such activity, and construction dust and heavy plant emissions that will create a nuisance for residents both near and far.

The infrastructure

Let us forget the residents for a moment and focus on the infrastructure. Currently, these new mega projects have not taken in new residents, though the smaller projects have increased the population gradually. Water supply pressure has been decreasing and it is a known fact that apartments above the 5th floor hardly get any water in their taps.

The electrical supply in Sliema, at least where I live, is quite reliable at the moment. And the sewer system? It’s a story in itself. The tourists boarding the pleasure cruises from the Ferries look forward to their return to sniff the whiff and view the white foaming sea.

And what do we say a propos of traffic? It’s already a nightmare entering or leaving Sliema and its environs at any time of the day. Now, to this add the number of new residential units with their inhabitants, private cars, and all the booming commercial activity. In the morning, all residents will need to flush their loos, and in extreme weather conditions the air-conditioners will be consuming mega watts of power.

How is the mains water supply going to reach our residences for us to have a bath or shower or even to fill up the cisterns, and where will all this water go? And how reliable will the electrical power supply be? Here we are talking of millions of liri (or euros) the taxpayer has to fork out to improve these basic commodities. By now the government would have already spent more than it got from the “bargains”. And where will the road infrastructure lead us? Nowhere.

Residents have to leave town and return home after work. And what about the Sliema based workers and the thousands of clients who have to enter this condemned hub to get a service? Oh yes, I have a brainwave.

We could reclaim Marsamxett Harbour and fill it up with the construction waste these projects will unearth. Then we can build a sports complex, a national park, some parking places and a bypass. And yes, most important of all, we need to construct a yacht marina and a golf course because this is a five-star country, or so we wish.

Effects of ‘progress’

Now let’s make a big assumption and say that somehow the government will juggle all these problems and solve them and hopefully by this time no one would have suffered any permanent health problems from construction pollution. But what about the added fumes all the vehicles will create? Maybe the VRT emissions test will eliminate these? I do not suppose the government will buy a super extractor that will suck out all the noxious fumes left behind. We have to breathe this air. It is our life (or death in this case).

And what about the dreaded summers with mega watts of heat radiated from the air-conditioners, or the heat emanating from thousands of car engines combined with the heat capacity of all the concrete blocks absorbing 12 hours of baking sunshine in the midst of a freak, yet commonly occurring, heat wave. Why do you think summer nights in Buskett are much cooler than those in built up areas? Come on, wrack your brains.

How is this psychological stress going to affect us? And what about the increased asthma incidence and cancer rates among people of an ever younger age? Is the government taking this into account or is it implementing a shortsighted approach? For sure this is not healthy living. And what about the psychological and sociological effect of all these people trampling on each other’s feet? What about the concentration of people in such a small area of land? What effect will this have on residents?

A bleak scenario

Today, it’s a known fact that there are much more dwellings than the market needs. It is not true that there is a need for more accommodation. All there is to it is a shift of people from one side of the island to the other and in the process creating more empty residences. The population is still around 400,000. Maybe we might be doing this to persuade some foreigners in retirement to live in these picturesque towns of ours. I strongly doubt it. Sliema has lost its face forever and nothing will bring it back to its former splendour.

The party in government (and in this sense the Opposition too) has no concrete plans to solve these issues for us and, knowing local politicians, they will never have. We will probably have to bear the brunt of this situation to the bitter end; there is no going back and this befalls us mostly because we are complacent. Too much has been lost for us to remain seated and watch the story unfold. We have to show who really leads the way.

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