Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1508472
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 SEPTEMBER 2023 NEWS NEWS JAMES DEBONO PLANS for the construction of a controversial hotel in the back garden of a historical building in Birkirkara's town centre are on hold. The developer has asked for a suspension in the processing of the application since new plans were being drafted. The application drew more than 500 objections and has served to unite politicians. Birkirkara MPs Randolph De Battista and Edward Zammit Lewis from the Labour Party and Justin Schembri and Adrian Delia from the National- ist Party, along with Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer protested the plans. Moreover, after expressing strong reservations on the pro- posed development the Superin- tendence for Cultural Heritage has announced it is in direct com- munication with the project's ar- chitect, Karl Ebejer, and is await- ing an amended proposal. The proposal according to the SCH must "be more appropriate to the context of an Urban Con- servation Area" and must "ade- quately preserve and integrate" the surviving historical structures present along Triq Mike Pulis. The SCH said the garden ear- marked for the new extension includes within it the ruins of a historic building, possibly dating to the late medieval period, which merits preservation. The planning application was submitted by E&TM Company Ltd owned by Thomas and Em- manuel Mifsud. It proposed the transformation of a residential palazzo in Birkirkara's urban con- servation area into a hotel housing 38 rooms. While the application envis- aged the restoration of the palazzo fronting Triq Santu Rokku with- out adding any additional floors on top of it, it also proposed a pool and a four-storey extension in part of the building's back gar- den opposite the parish church. Following an inspection of the site and a review of submitted plans, the Superintendence im- mediately expressed its reserva- tions on the height and massing of the development, as well as res- ervations on the proposed design, especially in the context of the scheduled parish church The site of the proposed de- velopment is entirely within the Urban Conservation Area (UCA) of Birkirkara, and approximately 15m from the church of St Helen. The house has evident histori- cal and architectural value, being scheduled even because of a his- toric muxrabija on a tower-like structure to the rear of the build- ing. As proposed, this structure would be hidden from view by the proposed development. Questioned about this applica- tion during a radio programme in August Prime Minister Robert Abela had refused to go into the specifics of the case while strongly hinting that the application was a "non-starter". "Applications that do not con- form to the regulations should not be submitted. This serves only to anger and antagonise the commu- nity," Abela had said. The back garden where the ho- tel extension is being proposed is zoned in the local plan as part of Birkirkara's primary town centre where commercial development is only allowed at ground level. And while hostels are allowed, ho- tels are not included in the list of commercial developments which can be approved in this part of the locality. JAMES DEBONO MICHEAL Stivala is asking the Planning Authority to sanction illegally installed glass railings on the rooftop of a Gżira lido. The building impresario is al- so asking for permission to use the rooftop for outside catering purposes. The lido along Gżira's prom- enade was approved in 2016 with a condition that its roof is not cluttered by any structures. It was built on 2,300sq.m of re- claimed land. The railings are already in place but lack a permit. The original permit had specified that services were to be built on a lower level. Both the Environment and Resources Authority and Su- perintendence for Cultur- al Heritage have issued their clearance for the development. ERA noted that the rooftop ex- tension will have no environ- mental impact. The SCH con- cluded the development will not create an additional impact on views from strategic vantage points such as Valletta and Ma- noel Island. But Din l-Art Helwa is object- ing, noting that the proposed glass railing at the first-floor level will render the upper floor accessible and effectively result in a substantial increase in the site's available gross floor area, thus increasing the intensity of commercial use through piece- meal requests. The project, which includes a swimming pool and two res- taurants, was approved in 2016 to cater for guests of four near- by hotels behind the project including the Bay View Hotel, the Kennedy Nova Hotel, The Strand Hotel, and the Water- front Hotel. The site was trans- ferred to a consortium made up of the four Gzira hotels through a parliamentary reso- lution in 2018. The concession is valid for a period of 65 years. Birkirkara hotel back to the drawing board Stivala wants chairs and tables on Gzira lido's rooftop SCH says that it is awaiting new plans which are more appropriate to Birkirka-ra's historical town centre Original permit had ruled out any structures on the roof of the lido approved in 2016