The Planning Commission has postponed its decision on the sanctioning of illegal works on the site of the former Barracuda and Piccolo Padre restaurants, ordering the developer to seek clearance from the culture watchdog first.

Developer Carlo Stivala wants to sanction internal alterations and changes made without a permit to the façade of the Grade 2 scheduled property in Balluta Bay, St Julian’s.

The illegal works were flagged by the locality’s mayor, Albert Buttigieg, on New Year’s Day, when workers were seen dismantling one of the wooden balconies on the front.

Stivala, through his architects, Falzon and Cutajar, has now applied to sanction these works, which included dismantling the original wrought iron railings. The description of works proposes to restore and install them and replace the original timber balconies and apertures with replicas.

'Rare patterned tiles removed'

He also wants to convert offices in the St Julian’s property to a restaurant. The commission postponed the decision to next month. The application (PA3863/21) had been suspended at the request of the architects when the illegal works were stopped by the Planning Authority in January.

Buttigieg had lambasted the authority for sleeping on the issue for three days before action was taken and said the delaying tactics allowed the developer to make irreversible damage to the façade and interiors of the landmark-protected Grade 2 seafront property.

Inside the scheduled building, workers removed extremely rare, traditional patterned tiles from the first-floor level and threw them in a dumpster.

Works also included several other internal alterations.

Stivala, a development tycoon with multiple property interests across Malta, lost a €2,300 bank guarantee and was fined €50,000 for the illegal works he carried out. He has appealed this fine.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage did not object to the sanctioning application, the restoration of the building and the replacement of the original timber.

But the commission wants the developer to get the green light from the culture watchdog before going ahead with considering the application.

The case officer has recommended the sanctioning request for approval, demanding a €600 fine for the illegal works. He also noted that the enforcement notice issued over the works was still in force and the developer was incurring daily fines of up to €50. The developer must pay a fine of a higher value.