Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1245222
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 MAY 2020 NEWS JAMES DEBONO A Valletta corner building leased out by a Church order will be extensively demolished to make way for offices. The property fronting St Ur- sula Street and Old Theatre Street, was leased to developer Ray Camilleri in 2019, and is now subject to a planning ap- plication which proposes exten- sive demolition works. MaltaToday is informed that when the site was leased, the developer was obliged to reno- vate and conserve the building, parts of which are in a heavily dilapidated state. In the application proposing the conversion of the building to one housing financial offic- es, Camilleri declared not being the full owner of the site but indicates that the owner had given consent to the proposed works. The application not only proposes an additional storey on the present building, but al- so the demolition of almost all the ceilings within the building, some internal walls and a stair- case, as well as new ceilings at different levels, resulting in a number of new floors. The Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage has warned that this will result in the complete loss of "legibility" of the exist- ing spaces. "This is a totally unacceptable proposal within a building of significant architec- tural value," the SCH said. Part of the corner building pre- viously housed a printing press, but the tenement forms part of an extensive property which in- cludes a convent for cloistered nuns and is one of few buildings in Valletta which retain their original height since its erection at the time of the Knights of the Order of St John. Parts of the building date to 1595, although extensive works were made in the mid-18th cen- tury. The building also suffered damage in WWII. The mon- astery, which follows the rules set by the first Grand Master of the Order of St John Raymond de Puy, was originally subject to the Grand Master. But after the departure of the order, it fell under the authority of the Archbishop. Although the Order of St John continued patronising the mon- astery, it now mainly depends on the rents paid by third par- ties who were rented out parts of the building. The building is considered to have significant architectural value. It features an entrance hall roofed with a groin vault and sculptural decorations on the side panels, a central courtyard with several forms of sculptural decoration around the doorways, rooms roofed with timber beams and stone slabs, rooms roofed with arches and stone slabs and a tradition- al stone staircase. The printing press is also considered as a tangible example of industrial heritage. The Superintendence has now requested details on the current state and wherea- bouts of this printing press. The Superintendence has not excluded any development but this should retain the general layout of the rooms, the ceilings and any significant features. Acceptable interventions with- in a building of this nature may include "the opening of aper- tures between rooms, installa- tion of lightweight partitions and intermediate floors and the addition of toilet facilities". The SCH has refrained from commenting on the proposed additional floor, asking for a more detailed streetscape anal- ysis before expressing itself on this issue. Din l-Art Helwa is also object- ing to the addition of anoth- er floor on top of the existing building, arguing that such an addition will alter the historical appearance of the property and thwart its proportions. Birkirkara: supermarket and residential project JAMES DEBONO A large-scale residential project will include a new supermarket and 26 residential units and of- fices on an undeveloped 4,000 square metre site along the Dun Karm Psaila bypass next to the Scan complex. The development will be stag- gered between two to five floors, complete with five-level basement parking, and is deigned by archi- tect Ray De Micoli. The developer is Clement Gauci. Currently the site is occupied by a boatyard and an informal car park, and includes 17 trees as well rubble walls and some old rural structures. The residential component in- cludes a small 210sq.m piazza. Residents in the area who spoke to MaltaToday acknowledged that the site consists of land des- ignated for development, but ex- pressed concern on the increase in traffic caused by the proposed supermarket and are calling for the inclusion of more open space in the project. "The government is constantly speaking about the need of more urban open spaces. This is an opportunity to design development which includes such spaces," one resident said. The area is already designated by the local plans for commercial de- velopment and for residential de- velopment in the rest of the site. Church leases Valletta property for offices, irks Superintendence