Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1525930
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 AUGUST 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt CF Homes Limited, a company partly owned by construction magnate Joseph Portelli, is be- hind a major development over- looking St. Joseph High Street in Santa Venera. The project con- sists of seven retail shops and two maisonettes at ground level, and 31 residential apartments on the three upper floors. The site, which is already de- molished and partly excavated, was originally designated for a bank branch and overlying apartments proposed by the Bank of Valletta which claimed full ownership of the site in 2023. Architect Maria Schembri Grima's plans suggest that the new building's recessed floor will rise above a row of uniform two-storey townhouses dating back to the turn of the 20th century. Additionally, it will in- troduce a bulky, elongated, and unbroken façade that contrasts with the rhythm of a street still predominantly characterized by these old townhouses. But the building will rise to the same height as an unsightly building found on the left of the excavated site. The Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage has expressed concern that the proposed de- velopment could set "a prece- dent for further inappropriate development" in the area, po- tentially impacting surround- ing buildings. The heritage watchdog described the project as "totally out of scale and out of character" with the tradi- tional streetscape. The SCH also noted that the applicant proposes three floors on the façade overlooking Triq il-Kbira San Guzepp. The SCH warned that this would result in an unsightly blank party wall adjoining the adjacent property on Triq il-Kbira. Furthermore, the application would create a building with "a very consider- able unbroken volume," which the SCH deems unacceptable in a UCA (Urban Conservation Area) and exacerbates the ex- cessive height of the proposed development. In contrast, the Design Advi- sory Committee, a panel that advises the PA on design issues, does not oppose the proposal. However, the SCH criticized the design, characterized by a continuous series of arches, as inappropriate for the area. The application originally en- visioned the development of a bank branch at ground level and three levels of residential apartments, and was first pre- sented by the Bank of Valletta in 2023. The application was later amended, with changes to both the applicant and the ar- chitect. Previously, the Bank of Vallet- ta had submitted an application in 2019 to develop four levels of offices on the same site. This application, featuring a more contemporary design, was sub- sequently withdrawn. The 840 sq.m site where the new devel- opment is proposed is a vacant plot where a one-storey struc- ture was demolished after ap- proval for a residential block, which was never constructed. Uniformity of St Venera's main street challenged by new Portelli application The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage warns that approval of a new development would set a precedent for "inappropriate" construction along St. Joseph High Street, the road linking Hamrun to Santa Venera.