Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1478015
8 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 SEPTEMBER 2022 JAMES DEBONO THE Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage has been im- pressed by photomontages of an 11-storey hotel overlooking the scheduled Villa Bonici gardens, and has dropped its earlier ob- jections to the development by Malta Developers Association president Michael Stivala. Back in September 2021, the Superintendence had "grave concern at the intensity of the proposed development" and at "the very considerable heights and volumes, which will bear onto the scheduled gardens of Villa Bonici". The office noted that the de- velopment involved the inevi- table demolition of an existing vernacular structure to make way for the hotel, something which "would generally not be viewed favourably by the Super- intendence". Previously it had also de- nounced illegal works abut- ting the Villa Bonici garden walls which transformed a yard around the building into a car park. The works "had preju- diced the integrity of the garden wall" but were later sanctioned by the Planning Authority after Stivala presented plans to stabi- lise the rock section underlying the garden wall. But following the presenta- tion of photomontages of the proposed hotel, the Superin- tendence has now described the proposal "as acceptable in principle" as "it incorporates suitable terracing away from the scheduled gardens". The SCH dropped its objection to the demolition of the vernac- ular building after acknowledg- ing a zoning permit from 2017, approving demolition of a build- ing to make way for both a res- idential development and a pe- destrian link between the upper and lower part of Parisio Street, with the hotel stepping up from seven to 11 storeys, the top four storeys being receded. The SCH has now requested a Works Method Statement on how works are to be carried out without prejudicing the sched- uled garden and boundary wall. This is not the first time that the SCH has changed its posi- tion following the presentation of photomontages, as in the case of a five-storey block abutting on the Manikata chapel on the basis of a photomontage show- ing improvements on original plans. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Superintendence clears way for Stivala hotel overlooking Villa Bonici gardens JAMES DEBONO A 'heritage gain' of €7,000 will allow developers to scupper the obligation of reutilising the stone corbels of an old farm- house in Fgura, which is set for demolition. The site – on the main road opposite the local council of- fice – is home to Fgura's oldest building and is earmarked for the development of 62 flats by the Vassallo Group. The condition to reuse parts of the building had been imposed in the original permit for the demolition of the farmhouse. Landowner Trevor Buttigieg's request to demolish the farm- house had been fiercely contest- ed by the Fgura council, which said the farmhouse had intrin- sic value as the locality's oldest building. The decision to demol- ish it was also unsuccessfully ap- pealed by the council. But the permit was approved against a €7,000 bank guaran- tee to ensure compliance with conditions imposed by the Su- perintendence, which at that time included the reutilisation of stone corbels found in the old farmhouse. Subsequently the Superintend- ence for Cultural Heritage had a change of heart, realising that "given the nature of the devel- opment being proposed" the reutilisation of these specific el- ements from the previous build- ing "is not feasible to implement and would constitute a pastiche of elements devoid of any con- text". Instead, the SCH said the loss of these vernacular architectural elements could be compensated "with a cultural heritage gain of €7,000", equivalent to the bank guarantee as imposed in the pre- vious permit, and presented no objection to the proposed devel- opment of 62 flats "from a cul- tural heritage perspective". The farmhouse was granted Grade 3 protection in 1995 since parts of it are known to date back over 200 years. The Fgura local council had expressed its wish to restore the building, reconstruct its original niche and transform the farm into a public cultural centre and green open space. Grade 3 scheduling does not preclude demolition, but signals the need for greater sensitivity when planning applications on such sites are processed. The building was later delisted. The SCH however said the farmhouse had "limited cultural heritage significance", and on- ly said that some of its features could be integrated in the devel- opment replacing it. It described the farmhouse as "a small inco- herent complex of buildings and spaces" and that only one room characterised by kileb (corbels) was of limited heritage value, so it proposed that the corbels are recovered and reutilised. The SCH made no reference to the importance attributed to the building by the local community in terms of popular memories, in full contrast with the approach recommended by the European Landscape Convention which says local, everyday and even de- graded landscapes are as likely to be of importance to the com- munities – or cultures – who inhabit them, or the people who visit them, as those which are commonly labelled as globally important. Malta has yet to rat- ify the convention. Developers pay €7,000 'heritage gain' not to re-use old Fgura stone The farmhouse was granted Grade 3 protection in 1995 since parts of it are known to date back over 200 years. The Fgura local council had expressed its wish to restore the building. Grade 3 scheduling does not preclude demolition, but signals the need for greater sensitivity when planning applications on such sites are processed. The building was later delisted