Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1484591
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 NOVEMBER 2022 NEWS FinanceMalta 15 th Annual Conference 1 st December 2022 InterContinental Arena Conference Centre St. Julian's, Malta Learning from the PAST Looking to the FUTURE REGISTER NOW www.fmannualconference.org Diamond sponsor Platinum sponsors p owe re d b y MATTHEW VELLA THE Maltese government is in discussions with the own- ers of formerly rent-controlled homes that house tradition- al festa band clubs, to acquire them in a bid to safeguard the historic seat of these village as- sociations. While some eight każini are facing the loss of their premis- es, the Maltese government is at an advanced stage of discus- sions with landlords, in a bid to move towards a promise-of- sale agreement. But there is an impasse in talks over Sliema's Stella Maris band club, whose landlords are requesting €1.8 million for the imposing house on Annuncia- tion Square. MaltaToday understands that government negotiators are holding out on agreeing on such a hefty price tag, with the property's leasehold yet to ex- pire in 2026. The negotiations are being led by the culture ministry. In the case of other proper- ties, promise-of-sale agree- ments could be even signed by the end of the year or the start of 2023. The Stella Maris band club is set to be evicted from its prem- ises this coming Wednesday af- ter more than a decade of legal battles. The Stella Maris Band Club has used the premises under a lease dating back to 1959 but the club has been there since the 1920s. However, the land- lords, a group of around a doz- en split across two families, had acquired the building under a temporary emphyteusis dating back to 1876, which is set to ex- pire in 2026. In 2010, the landlords of the premises filed proceedings be- fore the Rent Regulation Board in a bid to regain possession of the property leased out to the band club. The RRB threw out the claim. In 2018, the govern- ment introduced a legal meas- ure that blocked evictions of band clubs when these under- took structural works without the landlords' consent, provid- ed the works were related to the "philharmonic or social activi- ties... or activities performed by the band club" or when those works consisted of "improve- ments to the premises". Last week, the noble family that owns the Hamrun proper- ty occupied by the San Gejtanu band club for the past 96 years, was awarded €510,000 in com- pensation from the State, after the law under which she could neither terminate the lease, nor increase the rent, was declared to have breached her rights. The Hamrun property on the St Joseph High Street, belongs to the heirs of Baroness Marie Christian Ramsay Pergola, who inherited the property from the Marquis Giovanni Scicluna. The 1,295 square metre prop- erty was valued at an estimated €2,000,000 in 2016, according to an architect's report, which meant that the actual rental income – just over €1,300 per annum – was only 0.06% of the real value of the property. Declaring that the plaintiff's rights to enjoyment of their poproperty had been breached, Mr. Justice Robert Mangion, observed that the State's right to interfere with an individual's peaceful enjoyment of proper- ty for public purposes, "always remains the exception to the rule." While the court recognised that band clubs were an inte- gral part of the community, this could not be placed on the same level. While ruling that the band club could not con- tinue to rely on the ordinance to renew the lease, the court re- jected the request for the band club's eviction from the prem- ises. Hefty €1.8m price tag for Sliema band club