Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/792945
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 1 MARCH 2017 News 6 THE objections raised by Flim- kien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) and residents of St Mary Sreet in Sliema to a planning application – for demolishing an 1867 house and replacing it with an eight-storey three-star hotel – were nothing but a hindrance and a conspiracy, the house owner has claimed. The owner, who wanted to re- main anonymous, said he had lived in the same house for the past two years. "I sold the house after notic- ing other development all around my house in the same street," he told MaltaToday. "At any rate, the house was hardly habitable any longer and I decided to find some- where else to live." Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar called a press conference on site and called on the Planning Author- ity to heed the recommendation of the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage (SCH), other eNGOs and the residents who were objecting to the proposed development. "If this application is approved, the residents' rights to clean air, natural light and refuge in their own homes will be ignored," said Tara Cassar, for the FAA. "The his- toric elements of this 150-year-old townhouse are at risk of being lost forever." But the owner does not agree: "This is not a historic townhouse and it has nothing – inside or out – that is of any cultural heritage whatsoever." FAA said that the PA, which had been slated to decide on the case on 25 January, had given the applicant a month to amend the plans in line with the SCH's res- ervations. "All the applicant did was change the plans to retain the fa- çade of the house, but not chang- ing the additional six floors pro- posed to be built above it and the adjacent residence," Cassar said. The PA is set to decide on the ap- plication tomorrow. Joseph Camilleri, owner of the house next door to the one ear- marked for demolition, said he had nothing against his neighbour, but he was afraid of what the proposed development would mean for him and his wife. "I am not angry at him [the neigh- bour] for selling his house, good luck to him," Camilleri told Malta- Today. "But I am worried at having an eight-floor hotel built above my residence, how the building works and new hotel would disrupt our quiet lives." He said the fact that there were already a couple of high buildings in the same street did not justify building more. "If this application goes through, my wife and I will be living in a house wedged in between two tall buildings, with no air or natural light," Camilleri said. His wife Maureen said she was al- so extremely worried at what could happen to them, living beneath an eight-floor hotel, separated only by wooden beams and old stone slabs. JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority's board will be taking a final decision on the proposed development of apartments in the gardens of the stately mansion called The Clois- ters in St Julian's tomorrow. If approved, developers Bilom Group will be adding a new storey on the existing building and con- structing an eight floor block at the back. According to heritage NGO Din l-Art Helwa, the case officer who recommended the project for approval failed to assess the his- torical importance of the building. In a letter sent to the Planning Authority Din l-Art Helwa claims that preliminary research indi- cates that this building predates the British Period and is most likely contemporary with the end of the rule of the Knights in Malta. "From the information available to us, it has resulted that no histor- ical analysis has been requested by the case officer or other consulting bodies. "This reflects very badly on the Planning Authority, which needs to take a decision in the light of the importance of this building," Din l-Art Helwa said. The planned extension will not only destroy the historic garden but will result in an eight-storey building which according to the NGO will completely overpower the historic building itself, "thus spoiling its context and rendering it a very inferior type of boutique hotel". While insisting that it is not against the use of this property as a boutique hotel as proposed, Din l-Art Helwa insists that the altera- tions that are being proposed are completely insensitive to the na- ture of this building, describing the proposed elevations on Triq Bonavita and Triq is-Sorijiet as "a very poor unacceptable attempt at marrying the extension with the old building". No photos of the interior of the building or the garden have been submitted. The heritage NGO insists that the case officer should have also dismissed the application on the grounds that the existing plans fail to show the series of arches and beams that constitute the structural system of this late 18th century house. The alterations at ground floor and first floor levels are again damaging to the original structure. In January MaltaToday reported that the Cloisters, a scheduled palazzo, was on sale for €3.7 mil- lion on a property website which states – incorrectly – that "the magnificent palazzo" comes with "permits approved for a 34-room boutique hotel", apart from plans for a restaurant, reception and parking. In reality the Planning Authority decision, by its Environ- ment Planning Commission, will be taken tomorrow. Originally a decision was to be taken by the En- vironment Planning Commission – the board which takes decisions on minor projects on a daily basis. But the decision was later handed over to the PA's highest board. The Sliema local council has complained that no photos of the property had been presented, add- ing that "it is very likely that archi- tectural elements of heritage value, possibly worthy of retention, might be found within this building". But the case officer insisted that since the developers have applied for an 'outline permit' – a prelimi- nary permit to set the parameters of the development – photographic details of the interior of the build- ing and its grounds are not re- quired at this stage. "Internal photos were not provid- ed at this stage since this is an out- line application where with regard to the scheduled property only the principle of a vertical addition to such building was being assessed." This means that the PA would already have committed the area for development before assessing these details. The case officer contends that the development is in line with policies encouraging the regeneration and rehabilitation of historical build- ings and that the development on the gardens will be stepped down, thus following policy. The case officer's report refers to the endorsement of the latest de- signs by both the Design Advisory Committee and the Superintend- ence for Cultural Heritage. The latest plans show the additional storey added on to the historical building built in a more traditional style. Din l-Art Helwa makes last plea to save The Cloisters gardens Architect's rendition of the redevelopment of the building which probably predates the British era Sliema home owner defends application for eight-floor hotel An eight-floor hotel is set to replace the 1867 Sliema townhouse