Mar 24 - DPC Approves Amended Plans for Marriott Hotel and Office Block at Former Yacht Club site
At an impromptu meeting of the Development and Planning Commission on Friday evening, the panel approved amended plans for a Marriott Hotel and office block at the site of the former Royal Yacht Club. Presenting the amended plans, the architects insisted that there is a need for a 4 or 5 start hotel of this calibre, in Gibraltar.
The project sits 19.5 meters away from Bow Wave House of Mid Harbours estate, across Bishop Caruana Road. The office plan now takes the shape of an eye and will include designs for an active roof scape. The main changes to the project include an added two storeys on both of the buildings, reaching a towering height of 10 storeys. The DPC expressed continued concerns over the hotel design, and proposed merging the two buildings into one.
The panel insisted that it was encouraged by the re-design, which has created a greater distance between the site and Bow Wave House.
8 of the 10 members approved the project, much to the dismay of some disgruntled Mid Harbours Estate and King’s Wharf residents. The Town Planner noted that the commission will need to work with the applicants to improve the design, and a number of studies will need to take place testing he issues of wind tunnelling and shadowing.
Outlining the faults in the plans, Tamsin Suarez, representing the Mid Harbours Action Group, questioned the need for a further office block in Gibraltar, with the recent announcement of the development of the Gibraltar World Trade Centre. She also detailed the need for schooling in the area, especially with the development of the new affordable homes at the site of the former Coach Park.
Tamsin’s protests also covered the issues of traffic congestion, construction noise, waste management and the plans not fitting in with the layout of the area.
In response, Government Ministers Dr. Garcia and Dr. Cortes insisted that the Government was looking into various options to solve the issue of schooling in the slowly developing area. Dr. Garcia added that the project needs to be balanced with the surroundings, which will soon include the Commonwealth Park . He noted that at this stage the panel was just approving the plans in principle, and a great amount of work was still yet to be done.
Dr. Cortes echoed the Deputy Chief Minister’s sentiments, adding that many of the issues surrounding the plans would be taken into account, including sewage, environmental impact and traffic management. He noted that it is unlikely that he will support the final planning stages of the project.
