Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541179
A proposed 10-storey hotel in
Paceville would dominate views
of the Augustinian convent and
Villa Rosa, photomontages pre-
sented by the developer show.
The photomontages were re-
quested by the Superintendence
of Cultural Heritage. They il-
lustrate the visual impact of the
proposed hotel on the scheduled
Villa Rosa and the Augustinian
convent.
The hotel is being proposed
in place of a villa and its exten-
sive green grounds located near
St Rita's chapel and the Augus-
tinian convent. The site lies less
than 40 metres from the upper
entrance of Villa Rosa.
In a submission to the Plan-
ning Authority last month, the
superintendence noted that the
site lies within the setting zone
of both Villa Rosa and the St Au-
gustine monastery—both Grade
2 scheduled properties.
While acknowledging existing
and approved developments in
the area, the superintendence
requested photomontages of
the proposed building, captured
from Triq Sqaq Lourdes. It stat-
ed that further comments would
be issued following an assess-
ment of the requested visuals.
The chapel, convent, and Vil-
la Rosa are all listed heritage
buildings, but they now stand
in an area increasingly engulfed
by high-rise development that
has replaced the once low-lying
villas of Paceville. Another hotel
located next to the Hyatt Hotel
is still awaiting approval by the
Planning Authority.
The Villa Rosa development
proposed by Anton Camilleri
on the other side of Villa Rosa
also includes a high-rise devel-
opment which could go up to 39
floors, according to the draft lo-
cal plan revision being proposed
by government.
The 12-storey Hyatt Regency
Malta, located just metres from
the proposed site, was approved
in 2018 on land owned by the
Augustinian Order despite ob-
jections from the superintend-
ence and the Archdiocese of
Malta.
If approved, the new develop-
ment would extend the high-rise
entertainment district even clos-
er to Villa Rosa.
The project, proposed by Al-
bert Henry Xuereb, foresees a
93-room hotel spread over 10
floors above ground, with five
underground levels, a rooftop
pool, and ancillary facilities.
Heritage NGO Din l-Art Ħel-
wa has objected to the proposal,
warning that it could serious-
ly impair the visual amenity of
these scheduled monuments,
undermining their heritage in-
tegrity and value. The organi-
sation stressed the importance
of detailed visuals to properly
assess the development's impact
and ensure the visual context of
the historic properties is pre-
served.
The Augustinian Order has
reserved the right to submit rep-
resentations as necessary.
14
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 NOVEMBER 2025
JAMES
DEBONO
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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