Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1463840
9 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 APRIL 2022 Superintendence deems makeover of Sliema landmark unacceptable JAMES DEBONO THE Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has shot down the design of a proposed six-storey ad- dition on the existing Britannia Flats as "unaccept- able." Britannia Flats, a stand-alone apartment block fronting Tower Road with Triq Luzzju and Amery Street on its back, dates back to the early 20th cen- tury. The additional five storeys and a penthouse level will raise the building's height to ten storeys, to ac- commodate ten new apartments. As proposed the additional storeys build in a con- temporary style will be superimposed on the old building. But Malta's cultural heritage watchdog is against this treatment insisting that the additional storeys are not compatible with the existing building. "Whilst this office is not averse to a modern addi- tion, the proposed extension needs to have the same building rhythm, alignment and a complimentary design to the existing structure". While not rul- ing out a height extension the SCH insists that this should be done in a manner that respects the build- ings' "rhythm and alignment". But residents are also concerned by the over shad- owing on neighbouring streets particularly the very narrow Triq Luzju. Several pointed out that the development will im- pinge upon the privacy of residents in Triq Luzju and warned that the proposed height is in breach of sanitary rules. In fact four years ago a case officer had deemed a previous application proposing additional floors on half the building's roof to be in breach of sanitary regulations which state that in streets or open spac- es which are wider than 3m but less than or equal to 15m, the overall height of the facade should not exceed three times the width of the street. In this re- gard, according the case officer the overall building height on Trejqet Luzju, indicated to be 3.88m wide, is not to exceed 11.64m. Unlike the previous application, which proposed five new levels on half of the roof thus creating a blank party wall on the rest of the building, the ap- plication presented by Fafner Investments now cov- ers the entire roof. Brittania Flats is one of the few traditional build- ings untouched by the transformation of Tower Road in the 1980s and early 1990s, when traditional townhouses were knocked down to make way for eight storey tower blocks. KARL AZZOPARDI PN deputy leader for party af- fairs Robert Arrigo has said he will not be contesting any roles within the party in the upcom- ing general council. Speaking on TV programme NET Live, Arrigo said he will step down as deputy leader once his term ends. "I hope the party understands what is going on, and how we can move forward," he said. Arrigo was elected PN dep- uty leader in November 2017, together with David Agius, taking over from Beppe Fenech Adami, having captured 86% of the vote. He had beaten Toni Bezzina for the post. MaltaToday tried reaching out to PN deputy leader David Agius, to ask whether he would be contesting the PN deputy leadership, but all communica- tion was left unanswered. Robert Arrigo said on NET Live he will continue working for Malta and the Nationalist Party, while thanking the elec- torate and the general public for "their constant support". Hours after Labour's landslide victory a week ago, Arrigo took to Twitter and posted "Please help us Roberta", in reference to the Nationalist MEP and European Parliament president Roberta Metsola. His tweet came shortly after the current Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech said he would contest the coming PN leadership election. The Na- tionalist Party is required to hold a leadership contest after every election loss. The tweet was seen as a clear snub towards the current PN leader. Bernard Grech "inherit- ed" Arrigo and Agius as depu- ty leaders, both of whom were elected under Grech's prede- cessor Adrian Delia. Arrigo had also taken over as PN treasurer from Antoine Zammit in September 2019, after a video was broadcast of him complaining to an IPTV supplier over barred access to adult channels. He had stepped down in 2020, after claiming he was at the end of "countless attacks" he has received since former leader Adrian Delia lost a confidence vote filed by rebel MPs back in June. Robert Arrigo will not seek second term as PN deputy leader Having been elected as Nationalist Party deputy leader for party affairs in 2017, veteran MP Robert Arrigo says he will step down once his current term ends