The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) yesterday approved Phase 1 of the Pender Place and Mercury House project in St Julian’s, consisting of six residential blocks with 150 apartments and two levels of underground parking area for 398 cars.
Residents of the area surrounding the site of the planned project brought up two main concerns during a discussion at Mepa offices yesterday. The first was related to vehicle emissions due to increased parking capacity, while the second one involved a pedestrian link with Paceville.
Residents had also submitted a formal objection, drawing attention to alleged infringements during excavation work at the site, but Mepa noted that the developers have come in line with the regulations and with the agreed conditions of the approved outline development.
Residents present at yesterday’s discussion at Mepa offices pointed out that the vehicle emissions due to increased parking capacity that will be brought about by the development, would be detrimental to people’s health.
Moreover, they objected to the pedestrian link from the site of the project to Paceville. However, the applicant, Edward Gatt Baldacchino, said the pedestrian link will be a managed and controlled connection to Mercury House, which will be turned into an urban amenity. The connection will be closed at night-time if need be, said Mr Gatt Baldacchino.
As for vehicle emissions, residents argued that more cars will be automatically drawn towards the area due to increased parking capacity that will be provided. However, the developers said they carried out a study to test the amount and type of dangerous gasses that will be emitted by the cars entering and leaving the underground car park.
The study revealed that all emissions will be either lower than, or more or less the same as, the legal amounts specified in both local and EU regulations.
It must also be noted that upon completion of the Traffic Impact Study (TIS), the parking provision forming part of the development was reduced by about 400 cars from the original proposal, which was designed to cater for 1,294 vehicles.
The TIS was found to be necessary at outline stage, to assess the impingement of the proposed development upon the traffic situation in the area.
The residential blocks will vary in height between six and seven and a half storeys from street level. The blocks will all be linked to a large central piazza, which provides for a key element in the control of development density, but also provides for a higher grade of urban design.
The rest of the project will involve Phases 2 to 4, incorporating two towers (Phase 2), three commercial/residential blocks (Phase 3) and development of the site occupied by what was known as Mercury House (Phase 4). Phases 2 and 3 will also incorporate four levels of underground parking for public use.