Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1496177
10 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 APRIL 2023 JAMES DEBONO AN application transforming Vil- la St Ignatius in the Balluta area into a 4-star hotel also includes plans for the construction of three additional set-back floors above the villa, to accommodate hotel rooms and suites. Plans submitted to the Planning Authority indicate that the exten- sion will consist of a contempo- rary glass building. The villa in Scicluna Street in San Giljan is part of a larger prop- erty which once housed the first Jesuits' College in Malta, which was already mentioned as a land- mark building in an 1839 account of Malta. The villa was the subject of controversy in November 2017 when a wing of the historic villa was partly demolished on the pre- text that it contained dangerous structures. The latest application, submitted by developer Paul Gauci, propos- es the reinstatement of the villa's front annex on Triq Scicluna, res- toration works in the villa and re- instatement of the external stairs and other masonry features. A number of more recent structures and accretions will be demolished. Three underground levels be- neath the front and side of the property are being proposed to accommodate a service area and two levels of underground park- ing. The hotel will include a res- taurant and breakfast area within the villa's front annex at ground floor level together with an out- door catering area within the villa's front garden. An outdoor heated pool and deck area is being proposed on the roof of the villa's front annex. The project envisages the con- struction of a two-storey high multi-purpose hall and four floors of suites at the rear of the villa. An- other side block comprising exhi- bition space at ground floor level and four levels of hotel rooms and suites is also being proposed. The plans foresee extensive landscap- ing and paving works within the front garden and a paved passage along the villa's extents and roof gardens. Villa St Ignatius was originally a detached country villa belonging to an English merchant named John Watson. Surrounded by gar- dens and fields, it was considered a prominent St Julian's landmark and is mentioned in accounts of Malta dating back to 1839. The villa was later turned into the Mal- ta Protestant College. The college remained in operation for almost 20 years and closed down in 1865. In 1877 it was turned into a Jes- uit boarding school which was closed in July 1907 after the Jesu- its opened St Aloysius College in Birkirkara. The villa was convert- ed into a military hospital in 1915 which included 155 hospital beds. In the 1920s the building was di- vided into tenements and sold off for residential purposes. In June 2017, a court order was issued which allowed the removal of some dangerous structures and other works at the building. All works were to be supervised by a court-nominated architect. In Ju- ly, architect Stephan Vancell sub- mitted a request to the Planning Authority to demolish an entire wing of the building, including dangerous structures. In November 2017, the NGO Din l-Art Helwa made a formal request for the building to be scheduled. But days later demoli- tion work began on a more recent part of the building dating to the nineteenth century, resulting in the destruction of a balcony. The court later ruled that the partial demolition was in breach of the court order. In April 2018, Gau- ci applied to demolish part of the villa in order to create a public square. The application was later withdrawn. Three more storeys proposed atop Balluta's Villa St Ignatius Barriers proposed to stop off-roading at Wied Speranza Application also foresees restoration of the historical villa to accommodate 64-room 4-star hotel Barriers proposed as part of project to clean up the valley, improve access for pedestrians and re-move alien species BARRIERS are being proposed to stop off-roaders from accessing the Wied Sper- anza in a project to rehabilitate the valley. Parks Malta, the government entity re- sponsible for the upkeep and maintenance of national parks and the embellishment of other public spaces, said offroading was causing environmental damage through- out the valley. It said barriers had to be put in place at both entrances to the valley to stop access to off-roaders, with the one blocking ac- cess from the San Pawl tal-Qlejgħa side to be installed "as soon as possible". A similar barrier will be installed on the Speranza Chapel side after other works in the valley requiring machinery are completed. The project is aimed at the removal of invasive alien species and habitat res- toration of Speranza valley, which is a sub-catchment of the Wied il-Għasel system. Deliverables will involve a gen- eral clean-up, installing measures to stop off-roading in the valley bed, the removal of invasive alien species and the planting of indigenous species. Plans also foresee improved access for pedestrians and ramblers through the erection of a ramp with a handrail near the St Paul Chapel down leading to the valley, given that the present, rough pas- sage is deemed dangerous. Since the area is populated by hedgehogs, extra caution will be taken not to disturb their habitat. The present walking trail will also be levelled and shored up to prevent further erosion by installing wooden logs into the bank along the length of the path where it is in danger of collapsing. The works will also clear invasive reeds block- ing the pathway leading to the main bridge. Wied l-Isperanza takes its name from the Chapel erected there in 1760. Legend has it that around 1750 during a Turkish incursion, a young girl was working the land with her family when they heard foreign voices. Guessing that they were Turkish pirates, they ran off to hide. How- ever, the young girl fell behind and went to hide in a cave at the side of the valley, where a spider spun a web at the mouth of this cave. The present chapel was built as thanksgiving by the girl and her family for having escaped slavery. Reporting by James Debono jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Parks Malta says offroading is causing environmental damage throughout Wied Speranza