Plans are in hand to turn the two-storey dilapidated former Raffles Discotheque in Pembroke into a food court with catering outlets and a childcare centre.

The property, in a prime site in St Andrew’s, was acquired by the Labour Party through a controversial expropriation deal more than four decades ago. The party subsequently reached a deal for the lease of the site and its commercialisation.

In an application currently being considered by the Planning Authority, applicant Mario Brincat is proposing the change of use of the building to a childcare centre at ground floor level and restaurant outlets at ground and first floor levels.

The proposal seeks the addition of an outdoor playground, accessed solely from within the building, the construction of two kiosks and their respective seating areas, landscaping works and the restoration of the facades.

The proposal also includes excavation works within the scheduled Grade 1 building to create a basement level to be used as a kitchen area and amenities, the dismantling and replacement of part of the ground floor ceiling with a newly proposed glazed roofing area and substantial internal alterations, including the removal of discotheque furniture.

The dilapidated structure as it looks now. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

The structure was built as a Junior Ranks’ Club by the British services in 1902 and was part of a deal through which the PL was given properties in St Andrew’s, a factory in Marsa currently used as the party’s television and radio station,  the historic Maċina building in Senglea which served as Labour’s headquarters until 1994, and €40,500 in cash. In exchange, it gave up Freedom Press in Marsa, then used as its HQ, which was taken over by Malta Shipbuilding.

The properties were transferred through a parliamentary resolution on August 7, 1979.

The properties in St Andrew’, which had an overall footprint of 14,000 square metres, comprised the Australia Hall, which at the time was still a fully-equipped theatre, Hook House and the Junior Ranks Club, now known as Raffles.

The Raffles was a popular disco in the in 1980s and later fell into disuse and was the target of arsonists. 

It is located within the limits of the development boundary of Pembroke and has frontage on both Triq Dun Guzepp Farrugia and Triq Arnhem, being a site between two streets.

The former Raffles Disco will be restored to its former glory. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

The Planning Authority’s case officer noted how the building is in an abandoned state, with vandalism and accretions detracting from the magnificence of its architecture. The building is full of traditional architectural features dating back to British colonisation.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) and the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee have not objected to the proposal in principle. However, the SCH expressed concerns about the excavation within the footprint of the Grade 1 building, as well as the possible demolition of historical fabric.

The SCH later gave its all-clear, as long as the work does not affect the physical integrity and stability of the building and that all work must be monitored by an archaeologist.

One of the two kiosks the applicants is proposing to build outside the scheduled building.

The PA’s Development Management Directorate deemed the proposed development acceptable from a planning point of view and recommended the application for approval.

In January 2000, the PA had issued a permit for the conversion of the building into a child development centre, comprising the re-development of the two-storey building and connected to an underground development of three levels in front of the building.