Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1539233
THE PX Tower in Paceville could become the tallest building in Malta if a newly sub- mitted application is approved by the Plan- ning Authority. The planning application presented by Paul Xuereb's Project Landmark Limit- ed proposes seven additional floors to the 33-storey tower approved in 2023. Con- struction on the tower has not yet started. The proposed development is located at Paceville's gateway on Triq Santu Wistin— the road leading to the Eden Cinema and going down to St George's Bay. The building approved two years ago had the same height of the Mercury Tower, currently Malta's highest building. The new application also coincides with a government-proposed local plan change to the area around Villa Rosa in St George's Bay which sets a maximum height of 39 floors. Recently, the db Group has also proposed seven additional floors on its already ap- proved two high rise towers originally set at 17 and 18 floors. Construction work on the db project is well underway. The PX Tower Xuereb's application also seeks an in- crease the overall footprint of the project from 3,400sq.m to 4,120sq.m, an extension of the underground parking, and a redesign of the facade. Two of the new floors will be dedicated to hotel-serviced apartments. The Superintendence for Cultural Her- itage has requested the submission of an updated visual impact assessment to as- sess the impact of additional storeys on the historic skyline of Valletta, the harbour fortifications and the scheduled Villa Rosa mansion. A previous assessment based on a 33-storey development had concluded that the development will have no impact on these views. Xuereb has also presented two separate applications to commence excavations on the two sites adjacent to the development. The project approved in 2023 included 11 floors of office space, with a total floor space of 7,461sq.m, a hotel with 11 suites on two levels, 58 serviced apartments be- tween level 19 and level 30, a restaurant at level 31, and services in the two top floors. The project also included 1,254sq.m of open space and an underground car park for 259 cars over six basement levels. In view of concerns on the traffic impact of the project the developer was obliged to present a green transport plan to reduce traffic by 40% during peak hours. Traffic studies have shown that the pro- ject will have a major impact on only one of the four junctions assessed, namely the one where Triq is-Swieqi passes through an ex- isting tunnel under the Triq M.A. Vassalli arterial road. The project had been approved by nine votes to two. The only board members to vote against were NGO representative Ro- mano Cassar and St Julian's mayor Guido Dalli. A Paceville masterplan drafted by global urban design experts Mott Macdonald in 2016 had earmarked the site for a business centre consisting of "a relatively low-rise building complex" rising to a maximum of 11 storeys. The masterplan suggested that due "to the highly visible and accessible location, a high-quality architectural treat- ment would be appropriate to create an im- portant local landmark welcoming people into Paceville." The Paceville masterplan was never approved and was later aborted after it emerged that Mott Macdonald had also been hired as consultants for the Mer- cury development. In 2018, Xuereb presented an application for a 25-storey development only to change the application in 2020 to one proposing a 33-floor tower. 16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 SEPTEMBER 2025 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt mela ser jaħarbu sħabek? PX Tower developer aims for tallest building with 40 floors The planning application presented by Paul Xuereb's Project Landmark Limited proposes seven additional floors to the 33-storey tower approved in 2023