AD-The Green Party joins the Chamber of Architects and Environmental NGOs in drawing attention that the hotel height relaxation policy as a result of which hotels in certain localities may have their permissible height increased by two floors over and above what is permitted in the Local Plans, requires being considered in more depth.

This was stated by Carmel Cacopardo, Acting Chairman of Alternattiva Demokratika – the Green Party. He added that “it is not correct to engage in piecemeal amendments of land use policy. It is also necessary to consider the impacts which this proposal will have on the resources consumed by the Tourism Industry. The tourism industry has a substantial impact on the consumption of water and energy which impact should be adequately measured in order to ascertain the sustainability or otherwise of the industry.

Government’s proposals will inevitably impact existing properties in the vicinity of hotels which will now have their height limitation relaxed such that the addition shadowing which will result will further reduce the possibility  of making use of solar energy by those making use of these properties.”

Cacopardo added that  “the proposal to relax the height limitation by two floors for hotels is also discriminatory and may lead to other sectors in addition to tourism to insist that they too, as of right, should benefit as a result of the said height relaxation.”  

In view of this, concluded Cacopardo, Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party, is of the opinion that Government’s proposals should be considered within a wider context which is not limited to tourism.