Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/975483
maltatoday SUNDAY 29 APRIL 2018 6 News JAMES DEBONO A two-storey extension is being pro- posed to the existing Grand Hotel Ex- celsior on Great Siege Road, that will increase the hotel to 12 floors The extension will give the hotel 196 new rooms but is expected to "sub- stantially change the present skyline" – a preliminary screening report by the Environment and Resources Au- thority warns – especially as viewed from Sliema, Gzira, Ta' Xbiex, Msida and Pietà. The works will be car- ried out in the vicinity of the Grade 1 scheduled Kwarantina bastion. In view of the potential im- pacts of the project the ERA has called on the developers to conduct an Environment Impact Assessment. Recent planning rules allowed hotels to in- crease their overall heights, but the Excel- sior's plans cannot be justified by the new pol- icy because it does not apply to urban conservation areas and scheduled sites. The existing hotel comprises 433 guestrooms, a 30-berth yacht marina, an indoor and outdoor pool, a spa and fitness centre, a private sandy beach, conference facilities and two separate car parks. The extension would increase the ho- tel's total gross floor area from 65,000 to 100,343sq.m, and the built-up foot- print would grow by 84% from 6,000 to 11,000sq.m. The proposal foresees the extension of the main hotel building to 12 storeys, as well as a lateral extension in the form of a stepped building, rising from six to 10 storeys. The hotel also wants to build two freestanding exhibition halls, of two and three storeys, while a grand staircase is also being proposed at the junction of the main hotel building together with a new accommodation wing. The project also foresees a new out- door swimming pool, and the extension of the existing perched sandy beach, which will increase from the current 350sq.m to 828sq.m. The beach as pro- posed will extend for 65 metres along the coastline. The applicants claim the project will increase bed space to support tour- ism expansion in Valletta, Floriana, the Three Cities, and the south of the island, and provide enough conference space for over 1,000 delegates. The development of the Excelsior hotel was one of the first rallying causes for conserva- tionist movement Din l-Art Ħelwa, founded in 1965 under the leadership of Judge Maurice Caruana Curran. Din l-Art Ħelwa vehemently opposed the building of the Excelsior Hotel which tore a hole in Valletta's fortifications. The organisa- tion was founded at a time when the first post- independence government was encouraging rapid growth in tourism. In 1967 Din l-Art Ħelwa organised a public lecture at the Manoel Theatre to condemn the Government to stop 'the destruction of our is- land heritage' and the various Ministries who 'threaten to destroy most of our beauty spots'. The original hotel was proposed by the Malta and Europe Hotels Ltd, a company formed in 1964 by Italians Antonio and Nada Ghidoli. When the Excelsior hotel was completed Cecil Pace, a main creditor to the Ghidolis, proceed- ed to convert this debt into shares. The Excelsior became embroiled in the BI- CAL bank scandal which saw the government taking control of the bank. Yet the hotel sur- vived only to close its doors in March 1990 af- ter dismissing its 145 employees. The hotel was then sold to Hopewell Hold- ings, which planned to demolish it and build a new one. The original hotel was demolished in 1992 and initial work began to develop a 420-room hotel and a marina with berths for 20 yachts. By 1999, however, work on the site slowed down and came to a halt. In 2003 the hotel was bought by its current owner, Hong Kong-based Stewart Elliott and reopened in 2007. Back then Eliott did not hesitate to point out "eyesore developments across the harbour, which marred the land- scape". JAMES DEBONO A 12-storey office block is being pro- posed at the corner intersection be- tween Enrico Mizzi Street and Msida Road, instead of the current Gasan- Mamo office block in Gzira. The building will face the enormous hole left by excavations for the 33-sto- rey tower proposed by Libyan business- man Jalal Husni Bey, which when com- pleted will have a dramatic impact on the Maltese skyline. The GasanMamo office block will expand into an adjacent block that once hosted the notorious Tripoli Bar, which until the mid-noughties was syn- onymous with prostitution until the sex trade in the area was displaced by mas- sage parlours. The planning application, presented by GasanMamo Insurance Ltd, foresees the demolition of the corner office block to include three basement car-park lev- els, six levels of 542sq.m open-plan of- fices from the ground floor, and small 146sq.m offices from levels seven to 12. However, the site is not surrounded by four streets and does not create ad- ditional open space as required by the Floor Area Policy which regulates the development of buildings over 10 sto- reys. In fact the development is being proposed as a "landmark corner office block." Development guidelines approved in 2015 allow an increase in building heights in corner sites justified by the role of these buildings in giving "legibil- ity to a street and neighbourhood." While the Metropolis development remains incomplete, the area has at- tracted three other high-rise develop- ments. The highest building is being pro- posed by developer Michael Stivala which is being proposed in Testaferrata street in Ta' Xbiex. The development includes a 22-storey business tower. A 14-storey tower is also being proposed on the site of the Paul & Rocco petrol station. And an 18-storey tower was also originally proposed on the Wembley factory but this has now been reduced by half to nine storeys. Photomontages have recently been submitted showing the new building being dwarfed by the gigantic Metrop- olis tower. Gzira is already the site of the 22-storey high 14 East tower block which is now awaiting a permit for a nine-metre high communication mast. Further away a 29-storey high-rise is being proposed on the site of the Golden Harvest factory near St Albert street. The PA has already approved the demolition of the factory. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt A nine-metre high commu- nications mast on top of the 22-storey East 14 tower in Gzira "will mar the sleek ter- mination" of the tower, the Planning Authority's design advisory committee has said. The conclusion from the PA committee comes after an inspection of the latest photo-montages showing the visual impact of the tow- er with the added mast on it. The photomontages have still not been made available to the public. The committee had already described the proposed an- tenna as being "somewhat excessive" in February be- fore photomontages were presented. The committee is composed of only two mem- bers architects, David Mallia and art historian Charlene Vella, after architect Ray Demicoli – himself involved in a number of high-rise developments – stepped down from the committee. The absence of the photo- montages was noted by the Superintendence for Cultur- al Heritage which is calling on the Planning Authority to ensure this further increase in the height of "an already exceptionally high building" does not have a negative im- pact on views of the Grand Harbour Area. The original 16-storey tower was the first to be ap- proved from the 2015 high- rise rules. A second applica- tion added five storeys last August, making room for five new residential apart- ments. The East 14 project is owned by various sharehold- ers, among them Sonnet In- vestments, JPK Investments, Marius Cordina and Paul Darmanin. The directors of the company are Ian Dec- esare and Marius Cordina. PA design panel puts foot down on Gzira tower mast Gzira: 12 floors for GasanMamo corner Excelsior Hotel seeks permit for two new storeys How Excelsior triggered Malta's first conservation movement The Excelsior hotel nestled against the bastions surrounding Valletta and (inset) an artist's impression of how the hotel will look once the extension is completed Photomontage shows the East 14 tower in Gzira (right)