Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1531391
JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt 10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 JANUARY 2025 NEWS Cafeteria moved to lower floor in new plans for Paola church Preti house set to host new Valletta hotel New plans propose a discreet souvenir shop and a small cafeteria on the lower f loor, currently occupied by garages, while designating the rooftop portico as an observation deck. Case officer recommends approval for a new 5-star hotel in Valletta, set to incorporate the historic Preti House, a listed building dating back to the Knights of Saint John NEW plans submitted by the Paola parish church no longer in- clude the controversial rooftop catering establishment, which was initially proposed between the basilica's belfries for the Christ the King Basilica. Instead, the plans submitted last week propose designating the entire rooftop between the belfries as an observation deck. A souvenir shop and a small, unobtrusive cafeteria are now pro- posed on the ground floor facing Triq il-Knisja, in an area cur- rently used as garages. The application still includes exhibition space within the bel- fry towers and an "interpretation centre" adjacent to the pro- posed souvenir shop. The plans, described by parish priest Fr Marc Andrea Camilleri as a "vertical museum", aim to fully uti- lise six stacked rooms within each belfry. The new plans follow an agreement reached in July, in which the government committed €400,000 towards the restoration project. Fr Camilleri described this as a "win-win" situation for all. The agreement had already stipulated relocating the pro- posed cafeteria from the rooftop to the ground floor. The original plans, which included a catering establishment with cooking facilities on the church's rooftop, sparked signif- icant controversy, prompting the Prime Minister to urge the parish to revise its proposal. Fr Camilleri had maintained that the project's sole aim was to cover the substantial costs of maintaining and restoring the majestic building. "The cafeteria is the least important aspect of this project, but it will help recoup some of the costs to maintain the church property," the parish priest told MaltaToday in April, before the government's agreement. The original plans included a controversial catering establishment on the rooftop GP Borg Holdings' proposal to re- store a 16th-century palazzo and demolish an adjacent property to build a 5-star hotel overlooking Marsamxett Harbour has received a positive recommendation from the case officer. A final decision is expected to be made by the Planning Board on 30 January. The new hotel will feature 29 guest rooms, a spa area, an in- door pool, and a wine bar, along with a one-floor extension to Preti House. The developers have revised the contemporary design, orig- inally characterised by long and narrow glass apertures, replacing them with traditional balconies. A rooftop pool, which was part of the original plans, has also been removed. However, the proposed hotel will still result in an increase in building heights on Old Theatre Lane, a narrow residential alley, despite objections from some of its residents. According to the case officer, the restoration of the palazzo and the construction of a new building would harmonise with Valletta's UNESCO World Heritage status while introducing a modern, luxu- ry accommodation offering. The case officer noted that the hotel has been designed with care- ful attention to the architectural and historical significance of the area. Preti House, a Grade 2 sched- uled Knights' period building lo- cated on the site, will be preserved and incorporated into the new development. Moreover, the de- velopment has been approved by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Technical Commit- tee in Malta. Both bodies had orig- inally expressed concern about the proposed building volumes. The case officer's report conclud- ed that the development of the new hotel "would inject more econom- ic activity into the capital city" and "secure the building's upkeep and reuse." It also highlighted that the height and design of the new build- ing have been adjusted to minimise the impact on the city's skyline, while the addition of a rooftop pool and terrace has been carefully con- sidered in the context of the sur- rounding area. Although the area is zoned as res- idential, the development of a hotel is considered acceptable under a lo- cal plan policy that encourages the development of tourism accom- modation, aimed at injecting more all-day activity into the capital. The local plan states that proposals should be assessed on their own merits, based on their contribution to regeneration and rehabilitation, as well as their complementarity with the neighbourhood. However, the proposal has sparked several objections from local residents, particularly re- garding the impact on the sur- rounding area and infrastructure. Concerns were raised about the development overlooking Old Theatre Lane, with some resi- dents claiming this would deprive them of air and light. The proposal also raised priva- cy issues, as some hotel rooms would face residential dwellings. However, according to the case officer, the apertures on the back elevation overlooking Old The- atre Lane have been designed in such a way as to ensure adequate privacy levels. Since no new parking spaces are being proposed due to the histor- ical nature of the site, the case of- ficer has recommended a contri- bution of €65,000 to the Planning Authority's urban improvement fund to offset the shortfall of 11 parking spaces. Photomontages of the new hotel from Triq Marsamxett and from Old Theatre Street