Carlo Stivala's second 15-storey hotel on Sliema front approved

Mega-developer Carlo Stivala has been given the green light to build a second 15-storey hotel on the Sliema front.

The Planning Board unanimously approved plans to construct the hotel on the corner of Triq ix-Xatt and Triq San Vincenz during a meeting on Thursday.

A previous planning hearing was deferred as the board recommended that the developer remove two rooms to reduce the impact on the Urban Conservation Area (UCA).

Chairperson Emmanuel Camilleri noted how "all issues appear to have been resolved" in the revised drawings and endorsed the application.

Plans of what the hotel will look like from the Sliema front. Photo: Planning Authority

During the meeting, Astrid Vella, speaking on behalf of Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) and Sliema residents’ association, demanded that this development requires screening as it exceeds 5,000 square metres.

“You cannot overlook the cumulative effect of this development, especially with regard to the traffic impact,” Vella said.

She pointed out that there have been no studies carried out, and the impact that this will have on the residents in Triq San Vincenz.

However, Camilleri said that all the issues that were raised in the previous meeting have been resolved.

The proposed development on Triq San Vincenz. Photo: Planning Authority

This decision comes a month after the board approved a different 15-storey hotel located only one street away, on the corner of Triq ix-Xatt and Triq Lunzjata.

The application consists of demolishing the internal structure of the current building, keeping most of the façade and developing the site into a 15-storey three-star hotel.

The full development will consist of 75 guest rooms, a restaurant, a bar, ancillary offices, meeting and conference rooms and a pool plus deck on a receded floor.

More than 600 people objected to the development given its size in comparison with the, at most, three-story residential houses in Triq San Vincenz.

The maximum building height in that area is 13 storeys, but PA policy allows for hotels to rise two floors above the maximum building height limit in the area.