The iconic Lapsi View Bar and Restaurant, better known to its patrons as Ta’ Rita, has been demolished ahead of its planned redevelopment as a guesthouse.

The beloved eatery, whose iconic blue façade made it a landmark destination on the coastline, is no more and has been consigned to memory and photographs of summery holidays of old.

A mainstay in the Għar Lapsi landscape, the restaurant building was established in the 1930s, mainly to cater to the Royal Marines, until it was expanded to the site it previously occupied in 1966.

As of last month, all remnants of the building were cleared and, in its place,  lies a large excavated crater, in preparation for the new development planned for the location.

In October, the Planning Authority (PA) granted permission to demolish the building and construct a guesthouse with a new restaurant, an outdoor pool, a shop, a multipurpose hall, a playing area and underground parking.

The application attracted a substantial number of objections from residents, NGOs and the local council, who highlighted that the site lies outside the development zone and within a Natura 2000 site and could set a precedent for future development in the ecologically sensitive area.

Representations also expressed concern that sound and light pollution could have an impact on bird colonies.

An excavator at the Lapsi demolition site. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Excavation of the site, they added, could also pose a danger due to its proximity to the crumbling cliff face.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) has also previously tried to advocate for the building, saying that, while internally it did not appear to have any heritage value which warrants preservation, the modernist façade had a degree of architectural and aesthetic value and was worth preserving and retaining within the proposed development.

The SCH also expressed concern about the excavation work as well as the intensification of development within a Natura 2000 site, adding that the proposed extended massing and increase in height are objectionable in principle.

However, the PA’s case officer recommended the application be granted and it was subsequently approved.