Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1484063
13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 NOVEMBER 2022 OPENED in 1926 the Chalet dancehall was characterised by its Art Deco entrance at Għar id-Dud and became a popular rendezvous and venue for bands playing at the lower floor. At street level it had windows right along its perimeter that were shut when the dancing was on, to prevent kids from watching adults dancing . In the late 1940s and the 1950s, it was run by Ganni Fiteni and Karmenu Borg Bonaci, whose family still runs a confectionery in that town. Dancing season used to commence on Ascension Day with business carrying on right up to late autumn if the weather held. But the place did not open at all in 1959 and 1960, and finally closed its doors for good in 1963 with the concrete pillars and overlying platform becoming an attraction for young people at- tracted by the thrill of jumping from the heights in to the sea. In 2002, following a public con- sultation in 1999, a development brief was issued for the site's com- mercialisation, with the height of the new building set to 3.3 metres from the promenade and to 30% the footprint of the existing foot- print at promenade level. The brief, which remains in force, is very generic when it comes to the nature of facilities allowed on the site, but specifies that they should be "primarily entertainment and recreational in character", such as cafés, res- taurant, bar, a dance-floor area, a health and fitness centre, a sauna/ health club and other "water re- lated uses". Existing views of the sea from along the promenade must not be interrupted, and redevelopment must be a "distinctive building demonstrating excellence in ar- chitectural design" which serves "as a main landmark along the Sliema promenade." The brief also states that the re- development of the site "should not ideally extend beyond the existing footprint of the Chalet structure" but makes an allow- ance for a 150sq.m extension if a "sound justification" is provided. A tender for a 65-year conces- sion to redevelop the Chalet site and construct an underground car park under the promenade was awarded to Frank Schem- bri's C&F Building Contractors in 2001, at a price tage of Lm152,000 (€365,000) per annum. But in the tender document the government reserved the right to withdraw the letter of accept- ance if a full development permit was "not obtained within nine months". A planning application in 2002 for the demolition of the Chalet, the excavation of the promenade and the construction of a car park and commercial outlets with wave protection measures, was never approved by the PA. Widespread opposition to the project was motivated by concern that excavation works for the car park posed a threat to the fragile cave system which extends for 33 metres below the promenade and Tower Road. PA studies suggest- ed that the iconic and protected Għar il-Lembi and Għar id-Dud caves are already in danger of col- lapse. The Planning Directorate had recommended a refusal of the application. Yet no final decision was ever taken by the planning board on the proposed project. Subsequently the Lands Depart- ment withdrew the letter of ac- ceptance and in 2006 the govern- ment proceeded to demolish the rusty pillars of the old structure clearing the site for bathers who frequent the area. Plans to commercialise the site were resurrected in 2017 by Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, who vaguely hinted that revenues would be used to finance a new, free, public beach for Sliema. It was only a few weeks ago that the government issued a request for proposals was issued by Mal- ta Strategic Partnership Projects Ltd, a government entity, seeking bidders to redevelop the concrete platform into a "superior quality catering and entertainment es- tablishment." The site will be offered on a 65-year concession to the pri- vate sector for a minimum initial investment of €3.2 million and subsequent partial investments of €1.4 million every seven years during the concession term. According to the government's privatisation unit, proposals have to fall within the parameters of the Chalet Development Brief approved under a PN administra- tion, 20 years ago, which offers a wide range of uses for develop- ment in the area. The Chalet story consultation on the area's re- development took place. "The census shows Sliema now has a population density of 15,000 people per square kilometre, the largest in Malta. This makes retaining existing open spaces imperative." And what irks Briguglio most is the lack of public con- sultation. "At the very least the government should have first asked the people of Sliema on what should be done with such a prominent location." Still, the opportunity to re-engineer the place and re- store a historical landmark has an allure to the local architec- tural community. Sensitively redesigning the Chalet and giving it use which is "amena- ble to all" without turning it into "just another gated pricey catering establishment" could still be an opportunity, accord- ing to leading architect and heritage campaigner Edward Said. Said describes the "revitalisa- tion prospect" for the Chalet site as welcome news, having once been such a popular des- tination with so many Maltese. He looks forward to see how designers and architects "will marry contemporary aesthet- ics with the robust structural engineering necessary to deal with the challenges of Ghar id- Dud Bay notoriously treacher- ous grigalati. Sliema's answer to Brighton's landmark piers may finally return!" Architect Edward Said looks forward to see how designers and architects "will marry contemporary aesthetics with the robust structural engineering necessary to deal with the challenges of Ghar id-Dud Bay notoriously treacherous grigalati. Sliema's answer to Brighton's landmark piers may finally return!"