Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541881
12 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 DECEMBER 2025 NEWS Kiosk in Mercury Tower plaza set for refusal THE Planning Authority's De- velopment and Management Di- rectorate has recommended the refusal of a development appli- cation proposing additional re- tail space and a new standalone kiosk within the public plaza of the Mercury Towers project in St Julian's. The application, submitted by Mercury Towers Ltd, seeks to in- troduce significant commercial changes across three basement levels and add a 12.5sq.m Class 4C structure directly in front of the pavilion on Level B1. A final decision is expected to be taken by the Planning Board on 18 De- cember. The directorate issued its neg- ative recommendation in a re- cently published case officer report. The project, which in- cludes a 33-storey residential and commercial tower and a smaller 19-storey hotel, was ap- proved through the Floor Ar- ea Ratio mechanism, through which high-rise developments are obliged to create a public pla- za proportional to the approved height. The proposal includes the change of use of a 348.31sq.m multipurpose hall and ancil- lary facilities into a 448.04sq.m Class 4B retail outlet, as well as the conversion of 119.20sq.m of back-of-house space into a 34.55sq.m changing room area and a 53.08sq.m back-of-house section. The applicant is also seeking to extend the existing intermedi- ate level to create an additional 175.96sq.m retail space, together with internal alterations to im- prove connectivity with the up- per levels. The proposal also foresees the change of use of the 136.36sq.m pavilion from a food and bever- age establishment to retail, the reorganisation of areas previous- ly approved for outdoor tables and chairs, and, most contro- versially, the introduction of a 12.50sq.m standalone food and beverage kiosk in the piazza im- mediately in front of the pavilion. While most internal alterations were not considered problem- atic, the Directorate concluded that the kiosk was fundamental- ly incompatible with the design principles governing the Mercu- ry House public open space. The 4,313sq.m piazza forms an integral part of the Pender Place and Mercury House De- velopment Brief, conceived as a high-quality open space intend- ed to frame the restored Grade 2 Mercury House building and the Zaha Hadid-designed pavilion. According to the case officer, the kiosk would obstruct key sightlines, disrupt pedestrian movement, and introduce visual clutter in a plaza deliberately de- signed to remain open and unob- structed. The structure would also com- pete with Mercury House and the pavilion, two central archi- tectural elements that define the space, thereby diminishing the landmark quality of the ensem- ble. Moreover, the kiosk proposed within the approved public open space is considered to run against the principles approved in the previously approved applications which established the ratio of the built and open space layout. The case officer cites SPED policies, which call for the pro- tection of urban character and the safeguarding of public open spaces, as well as policy G23 of DC15, which discourages addi- tions that compromise the set- ting of architectural landmarks. Although the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage did not ob- ject, the Directorate held that the kiosk's impact on the piazza's visual coherence remained unac- ceptable. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt The proposed kiosk in Mercury Tower plaza