Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1523590
10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 JULY 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Proposed demolition of three banks Heritage activists consider bank branches designed by Richard England in the 1970s as architectural landmarks but England himself declared that he has no problem with demolition of the St Julians bank branch RECENTLY published photo- montages showing the visual impact of a new 11-storey hotel being proposed instead of the HSBC branch in St Julians have reignited the debate on whether its 'modernist' design, carrying the signature of eminent archi- tect Richard England, deserves protection. Plans to demolish the branch flagged by MaltaToday in Jan- uary 2023 sparked protests by members of the architectural community who consider the building as a landmark of Mal- tese modernist architecture. Edward Said, one of the most vociferous defenders of Malta's modernist heritage is presently campaigning against the demo- lition of bank branches built in the same modernist style in St Julians, Mellieha and Msida, all three proposed for demolition in different planning applica- tions. In December 2022 the Super- intendence for Cultural Her- itage had objected to the pro- posed demolition of the HSBC branch in St Julians, describing it as "a building of evident ar- chitectural value" and called for the integration of the original building in the design of the new proposal. But in a twist the cultural heritage watchdog changed its position in October 2023 after Richard England himself de- clared in a letter to the Planning Authority, that he had always 'felt uncomfortable with the way this building turned out and was not opposed to its dem- olition'. While reiterating its stance that "the existing façade has a degree of architectural impor- tance" the SCH added that in view of England's position "the demolition of the façade may be considered." But the heritage watchdog still called for a re- duction in the height and scale of the proposed building in view of its proximity to Palazzo Spinola, a grade 1 listed build- ing. Din l-Art Helwa had also ob- jected to the demolition of the building which is "reflective of the Modernist period with a facade which is indicative of regional modernism through its adaptation to the Maltese urbanscape" and is therefore a part of the architectural history of the Maltese islands. But Graham Salt, co-owner of the property development company Berkeley Investments, had told BusinessNow.mt that the site's "tiny" size (around 250sq.m) makes it difficult to retain the façade in any exten- sive redevelopment, such as the one proposed. "It is not very practical," he said. He also dis- missed the architectural value of the original buildings stating that it is "not much to look at" and had not even considered that the building had any value when he applied for the permit. The HSBC branch in St Julians was put up for sale in 2019, after the bank announced its intention to close down eight branches by the end of the year. HSBC inherited all the branch- es that belonged to the state- owned Mid Med Bank when this was sold to the former for Lm80 million – or €185 million – in 1999. The building in St Julians with (right) photomontages showing the bank as is and 9far right) the proposed 11-storey hotel The banks in Mellieha (left) and Msida (right) are also slated fro demolition