The Planning Authority is set to approve plans to build an 11-storey structure at SmartCity in spite of a warning by the cultural heritage watchdog that this could compromise Valletta’s Unesco World Heritage Site status, Times of Malta has learnt.
A 2008 SmartCity master plan had set a seven-storey limit for buildings there and correspondence seen by Times of Malta shows that the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage strongly insisted the limit must be respected by the structure in question, known as The Shoreline.
“The advisory committee and the Superintendence recommend that the proposed building height should be reduced and certainly not exceed the height outlined in the master plan on the basis of the effect on the views and vistas of Valletta World Heritage Site and the scheduled fortifications,” the Superintendence told the planning watchdog.
“The advisory committee further noted that the extent of proposed massing should be further studied by the authority,” it pointed out.
Despite the cultural heritage watchdog’s clear stand, the PA is still recommending the approval of an application for the building of 400 residential units and a large commercial and retail area…
