WATCH: New PL Candidate Calls For More Aesthetic High-Rise Instead Of ‘Eyesores’ Shown By UglyMalta Page
High-rise buildings should be in symmetry with each other to avoid the kind of “eyesores” regularly flagged by a popular Instagram page, new Labour candidate Rebecca Buttigieg has said.
Buttigieg, who will contest the next election on the 10th district (Sliema, St Julians, Gżira, Pembroke), said sustainable development is a main concern for her constituents.
“If you follow UglyMalta on Instagram, you’ll see a lot of photos of high-rises going up that really stick out as eyesores,” she said on Lovin Daily this week.
“When you go abroad, you see so many high-rises but they don’t have to be done in such a way that they hurt your touristic product too. It’s a step forward we must make.”
“We need to accept that [tenth district towns] are touristic areas. There’s been a lot of development over the past few years and there’s no going back so we must embrace this direction in a more sustainable manner. High-rise should have some guidelines, not one is red and one is blue, or one is 30 storeys and another is 50…”
“There must be some symmetry so we can develop our touristic product. These localities all attract tourists in the summer months so we must ensure that they’re very well-inviting.”
She also called for proper economic and environmental impact assessments to be carried out on proposed high-rise buildings to ensure that they are accompanied with ample parking areas to accommodate the increased flow of traffic they generate.
Elsewhere, she also called for symmetry among the kiosks dotting the Gżira-Sliema-St Julian’s promenade.
“Kiosks shouldn’t pose an obstacle for people going on a walk with their dog. We need some symmetry. For example, some kiosks sell cruises or boat trips, so why can’t they look the same in specific diameters?”
Cover photo: A high-rise building as shown on UglyMalta Instagram page; Right: Rebecca Buttigieg
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