Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1502308
NEWS 7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 JUNE 2023 JAMES DEBONO THE Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage is "strongly ob- jecting" to plans for a 15-floor hotel at the Sliema Ferries. The development is being proposed by Carlo Stivala on a corner building that abuts on- to Triq San Vincenz, presently characterised by three storey townhouses. The building which hosts a Labour Party club is already committed for a residential project of nine floors in a per- mit issued to Carlo's brother, Michael Stivala in 2018. An- other permit had been granted to a previous owner in 2016. None of the approved per- mits so far have been imple- mented by the developers. The cultural heritage watch- dog is insisting that any devel- opment in the area should not rise higher than the nine floors foreseen in previous permits. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has warned the height of the proposed de- velopment will exceed the ad- jacent property on ix-Xatt by around six-storeys and will ex- ceed the adjacent properties in the UCA by around 10 storeys. And while mindful of the existing permits, the Superin- tendence has made it clear that it is not in favour of any in- crease in height "beyond that already granted", warning that this will result in the creation of high blank party walls and of massive volumes bearing onto the Urban Conservation Area, with an unacceptable impact on this area. The Superintendence also expressed concern on the pro- posed design of the hotel not- ing "the cluttered treatment of the proposed facades" and "the relatively squat proportions of the proposed storeys" rising above Triq San Vincenz. The Superintendence has called for adequate terracing towards the UCA to mitigate this impact. Although most of the build- ings overlooking the Ferries now reach a height of nine floors, Triq San Vicenz is still characterised by a row of old houses with a uniform height of three floors. As proposed the new three- star hotel designed by archi- tect Robert Musumeci, will re- tain most of the existing facade and will include 14 floors and a receded floor level. The proposal also includes a restaurant at ground floor level, offices, meeting and con- ference rooms in the first four levels, hotel rooms at levels 5 to 14 and a bar and pool area on the receded floor level. Meanwhile, Carlo Stivala has also filed a separate planning application for another 15-sto- rey hotel on the Strand, corner with Triq ix-Xatt and Triq San Lunzjata. Both applications have solicited scores of objec- tions by residents and have been described as 'abusive' by Flimkien Ghall-Ambjent Ah- jar due to the creation of blank party walls within an urban conservation area. Previous objections Residents had strongly ob- jected to the first application to develop the corner site be- tween Triq San Vincenz and Triq ix-Xatt, presented by Adrian Deguara in 2015 to add six new floors while retaining the original facade. Objections mainly concerned the impact of the higher build- ing on Triq San Vincenz. The case officer had at the time also recommended refusal as the proposed development did not comply with sanitary reg- ulations which did not permit an eight-storey building in the narrow width of St Vincent Street. The PA's internal heritage panel had also warned that the proposed height of eight floors on the side street would have a negative impact on the street- scape and the characteristic buildings situated there. Nonetheless, the develop- ment was approved by the Planning Commission and an appeal against approval was thrown out by the Environ- ment and Planning Review Tribunal. In 2018 the PA approved an- other application submitted by new owner Michael Stivala to change the receded floor into a full floor. Superintendence 'strongly objects' to Carlo Stivala's hotel in Sliema The site on the Sliema seafront identified for development into a 15-storey hotel