Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545651
12 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 1 JULY 2026 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Stivala's hotel extension on The Strand flagged for blank party walls EXTENSIVE blank party walls constitute a significant nega- tive impact in a proposed ex- tension to the Sliema Hotel, yet acceptable when weighed against existing planning com- mitments. This is the conclusion of the Planning Authority's case of- ficer when evaluating the ex- tension proposed by ST Pro- jects Ltd, owned by developer Michael Stivala. The application (PA/01122/25) seeks permis- sion for additions and altera- tions to the approved Class 3B four-star hotel at 59, ix-Xatt and Triq Manwel Dimech, Sliema. The proposal includes an extension of the restaurant at intermediate level, conver- sion and extension of a restau- rant into guest rooms at level 15, and a new setback floor at level 16 incorporating an out- door pool and deck area. In its assessment, the direc- torate states clearly that the proposed development will generate "extensive blank par- ty walls", adding that such el- evations are "objectionable in principle" and cannot be re- solved simply through surface treatments such as rendering or decorative finishes. It fur- ther notes that blank party walls are likely to have a neg- ative visual impact on the sur- rounding streetscape and ur- ban context. Despite this, the report stops short of requiring a redesign through additional setbacks or reduced massing, instead ar- guing that mitigation through treatment of the exposed walls may be acceptable. It further acknowledges that the proposal does not fully comply with the Height Limitation Adjustment Policy for Hotels, which explic- itly states that no blank walls should be created and that re- sultant design features must be of high quality and responsive to their urban context. However, the report intro- duces a contrasting line of rea- soning, citing a series of nearby approved developments where similar blank party walls were previously accepted by the au- thority as part of committed building envelopes, including cases such as the unsightly ho- tel building currently under construction next to Medasia. On this basis, the report con- cludes that the treatment of the exposed party walls in this case "may be deemed acceptable". A long and complex planning history The application forms part of a long and complex planning history for the site, which has seen repeated permissions, alterations over the past two decades, gradually intensifying the scale of the hotel structure along the Sliema waterfront. In its submission, the Super- intendence of Cultural Her- itage warned that the contin- ued upward expansion of the building in this area will fur- ther consolidate a height that already exceeds its immediate context, with visual impacts extending towards Valletta and Marsamxett Harbour. The existing Sliema Hotel is a large, legally established wa- terfront development rising to eight floors. But the develop- ment was already intensified through successive approvals, including PA/3614/18 and its renewal, which fixed the cur- rent height envelope and per- mitted a setback rooftop level with pool and deck. Under that approved scheme, the hotel is understood to comprise 165 rooms. The new application (PA/01122/25) increases this to 192 rooms, through the conversion and extension of restaurant space into guest ac- commodation at level 15 and additional floor space at upper levels, including a new setback level at level 16. While the pro- posal does not exceed the ap- proved height parameters, it significantly increases internal density and operational inten- sity, resulting in a higher room count, greater parking demand, and further exposure of blank party walls within an already heavily built-up waterfront structure. No photomontages were de- manded before the project's approval with the case officer arguing that a visual impact as- sessment has already been car- ried out for the previously ap- proved application. The case officer frames the additional floors as compliant with the Hotel Height Limitation Ad- justment Policy, which allows limited upward extensions beyond Local Plan limits, pro- vided they remain within the already approved hotel height envelope established in previ- ous permissions. The plans were submitted before the government an- nounced that the Malta Tour- ism Authority will no longer issue concessions for hotels to surpass local plan height limi- tations. The case now proceeds for determination by the Planning Authority board on 8 July, with the treatment of blank party walls emerging as one of the key design issues where policy, precedent and visual impact assessments appear to diverge.