Feb 13 - Government: Less Tall Buildings Means Fewer Flats
In relation to the Hassan Centenary Terrace Development and Planning Commission (DPC) meeting last Monday, the Government says the GSD have "jumped on the bandwagon".
A statement continued: "They know full well the reality that land is extremely scarce in Gibraltar and is subject to competing interests. They also know that when they were in Government, both the press and the public were shut out from meetings of the DPC.
"The Government took the view that an area of land which has long been earmarked for high-rise luxury residential should instead be used to construct affordable homes for our people. The Opposition may not agree. However, the truth is that this has been so successful that the project is oversubscribed with well over two thousand applications received for 665 flats.
"The development involves the construction of tall buildings but this is planned outside the city walls and in an area of land that did not exist until it was reclaimed from the sea. The heritage and environmental considerations are therefore minimal and the issue is simply about the height.
"The plain fact is that less tall buildings would mean fewer residential units for the people of Gibraltar to live in.
"This is a development for working people who are eligible to be on the housing waiting list. It is a development to help Gibraltarian families grow and so it deserves the support of the whole community.
"The Government will proceed with this development of affordable new homes and it will ensure that an average of 200 such homes are built every year. That's what our people need and it is what they will get."
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