A development application for the construction of an eight-story hotel in the St Paul's Bay Veċċja area, at 30, Stella Maris Street (PA/05587 of 2021), has been withdrawn.

The withdrawal was requested by the applicant’s architect during Friday’s hearing before the Planning Commission. 

The project, which was already recommended for refusal by the Planning Authority, consisted of excavations beneath the front terrace of an existing ground-floor maisonette; the construction of a 22-room, Class 3B 3-star hotel with an overlying receded floor and an underlying basement floor.

The proposed hotel was planned to include a restaurant, gym, and rooftop swimming pool, among other amenities. 

According to the Planning Commission, the proposed development, while adjacent to an urban conservation area, ran counter to policy provisions. 

Its proposed treatment of the resulting blank party walls was also not deemed satisfactory and conflicted with the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development, which aims to ensure that all new developments improve the pleasantness of the area, the PA said.