Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1340314
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS JAMES DEBOTNO THE iconic restaurant at Ghar Lapsi known as Ta' Rita is set to transform into a guesthouse and lose its blue colour after revised plans got the nod from the plan- ning case officer. The Planning Authority is ex- pected to approve the guest house, which will be slightly higher and bulkier at first floor level than the existing building. After a five-year saga, which saw a constant revision of plans to ensure that the new building fits in the surrounding land- scape, the proposed transforma- tion of the popular restaurant into a guest house is being rec- ommended for approval by the case officer. A final decision will be taken by the Planning Board on 4 March. The most significant change over the present situation is the construction of a first floor level, with the uppermost lev- el proposed at a 4.25m setback throughout the whole width of the building façade. In contrast, the existing first floor level only covers a small part of the building and varies from a 4.8m setback to a 10.8m setback. The new building will be 0.6 me- ters higher than the existing one but substantially bulkier. The new structure will house an underground parking area at basement level, a multi-purpose hall and a marine leisure shop at the semi-basement level, a res- taurant at the ground floor level and a guesthouse spanning on both the ground floor and first floor level. The proposal will have a similar architectural design and massing as that of the existing structure. The Environment and Re- sources Authority, which had reservation on previous plans, has concluded that the physi- cal downscaling of the project, particularly the reduction of the terrace space at restaurant level and the omission of the proposed structures at the roof level, is be- ing considered "sufficient in ad- dressing the authority's concern regarding the physical massing of the proposed building in the sensitive environment". But the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage was still in- sisting on the retention of the existing Modernist façade and objected to the increase in the building's massing. Among the features that give the existing restaurant its unique character, are two converging staircases, the large and symmet- rical fenestration spanning across the whole width of the elevation and its iconic blue façade. Despite the SCH's objection to the elimination of the existing façade, the case officer described the replacement building as a "modernized version of the ex- isting" which retains "the most notable elements". One feature that will be re- placed is the blue rendering for the façade, to be substituted with a more earthy tone colour, with the case officer concluding that this would result in a more suit- able finish, blending further in- to the surrounding open spaces and landscape and mitigating its visual impact. While the case officer conclud- ed that the proposal is being con- sidered an enhancement of the existing development and one which will not adversely affect the surrounding land the PA's advi- sory committee on design issues still called for a reduction in the overall massing of the building through the elimination of the proposed semi basement level. Ta' Rita owes its origins to a small bar that was opened by Frenċ Azzopardi to cater for Brit- ish servicemen in the 1930s. The restaurant probably built in the 1950s is still popularly known as Ta' Rita, the name of Azzopardi's daughter. Ta' Rita restaurant in Ghar Lapsi set to change into guesthouse Ta' Rita restaurant in Ghar Lapsi and (bottom) an architectural design of how the guesthouse will look like MATTHEW AGIUS A Ghanian construction worker has been remanded in custody on charg- es of aggravated cannabis possession, after he was arrested in Marsa with 36 packets of the drug on his person. Construction worker Haadi Mo- hammed, 30, from Ghana, living in Qormi was arraigned under ar- rest before magistrate Charmaine Galea, accused of possession of cannabis grass and resin in circum- stances which denoted that they were not exclusively for his per- sonal use, within 100 metres of a school or club where youths habit- ually gather. Mohammed was arrested on 14 February on Triq Dicembru 13 in Marsa. Inspector Stacy Attard said that an RIU patrol in Marsa had spotted a group of 8 persons who started running when they saw the police approach. The officers caught Mo- hammed, who was found carrying cannabis and cannabis resin, €280 in cash and, oddly, an old Lm5 note. If found guilty, the man faces up to 10 years in prison. His lawyer, Simon Micallef Sta- frace, appointed legal aid said that the man would be pleading not guilty "at this stage." Bail was requested by the defence and opposed by the prosecution, which said that Mohammed had not given an address other than a vague area and the circumstances in which the substance was found. In addition to this, the man had travelled to Malta on the strength of an Italian residence permit which was due to expire soon, said Inspector Mangion. Micallef Stafrace told the court that the man kept his address on his phone which was in police cus- tody, however. The court however said it was re- jecting the bail request due to the serious nature of the charges and because the accused did not pro- vide a fixed address. Man charged after officers find 36 packets of cannabis in Marsa