Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1524066
9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 JULY 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Superintendence welcomes changes to Rialto plans... but regrets loss of cinema projection room THE heritage watchdog has welcomed new plans that pre- serve the "architectural legi- bility" of the Rialto theatre in Bormla, a listed property. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage said the amended plans will preserve the internal spaces, including the auditorium, the viewing gallery and the stage. The Rialto is owned by the Labour Party, which intends leasing it out to a private com- pany that has presented plans to transform the building into an entertainment and cultural venue. Moreover, the public author- ity welcomed the lowering of the overall height of the pro- ject, even if plans suggest that the building will still rise one storey above the existing level. In January, the SCH had warned that a proposal for a higher roof level on the Rial- to Theatre in Bormla will im- pact urban views of the parish church. Since then no new photomontages have been published to reflect the latest changes. The plans submitted by Rial- to Operations Ltd foresee the creation of a new theatre with catering facilities, a restaurant, a rooftop 'multipurpose venue', an interconnected social club, and a boutique hotel linked to an adjacent townhouse. The PL had issued a call for expressions of interest in 2022 and Rialto Operations Ltd was the selected bidder. The company is 90% owned by GP Borg Holdings Limited, a ready-mix concrete supplier, with lawyer Charlon Gouder, CEO of Malta's tuna ranching lobby, holding a 10% stake. A new roof for the Rialto In its latest report on the project the Superintendence endorsed plans to replace an existing roof made of asbestos cement sheets with contem- porary synthetic material of similar appearance noting that the roof as being proposed will evoke the style and appearance of the historical roof despite being larger and more im- posing. The cultural heritage watchdog is still encouraging the developers to re-use exist- ing structural elements but rec- ognised this may not be a feasi- ble option, given the change in dimensions and design. Projection room still in the balance But the Superintendence is still concerned with plans to demolish a projection room to make way for three lift shafts. According to the projects' ar- chitect the lift shafts are neces- sary to provide vertical access to the different levels. More- over, they have excluded relo- cating the lift shafts to other areas as this would impact on the fabric and structural integ- rity of the gallery which is be- ing preserved. Another option which was excluded was the relocation of the lift shaft into the auditori- um, but this would also have a negative impact on the integ- rity of this important space. While recognising that from the three options considered the location of the lift shafts in the projection room in the best one, SCH is now calling on the developers to propose a "suitable mitigation" for the "undeniable loss to the social historical value of the sched- uled property." The Superin- tendence has also called for an inventory of all items within the projection room, noting that this would serve as a his- torical record and would facili- tate further mitigation. Stairs to be replaced The plans will also result in the removal of the the existing stairs and their replacement with new ones. However, the new stairs will be placed in the same location, albeit with a different orientation. The Su- perintendence concluded that this is an acceptable interven- tion to ensure continued and sustainable use of the proper- ty. Nevertheless, the Superin- tendence is insisting that the new stairs should evoke the ex- perience of the existing stairs re-utilising recovered material as far as possible. Concern on noise Several residents have ex- pressed concern on the pro- posed "multi-purpose venue" beneath the reconstructed roof, warning that the use of amplified music and the pres- ence of noisy crowds in events like weddings could have a negative impact on the resi- dential area which surrounds the Rialto and possibly across the harbour. The matter falls outside the remit of the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage. Neither was the matter addressed by the Environment and Resourc- es Authority and so far, the PA has not requested any studies on this possible impact. But in its decision the PA could also impose conditions. Contacted by MaltaToday last year and asked how his company intends to address residents' concerns Gouder re- plied that commercial opera- tions on the roof of the theatre "will be following procedures and specific permit conditions issued by the relevant authori- ties, as happens on other sites including other historical buildings in Cottonera which already exist and are run on a commercial model." Gouder added that the space on the rooftop will "among other things serve as a space from which one can enjoy the best views of Cottonera and its surroundings." Photomontage of the Rialto project presented last year prior to the latest changes endorsed by the SCH