The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage is insisting that a five-storey project in Ħamrun proposed by construction magnate Joseph Portelli’s business partner should be scaled down as it fears the streetscape will be ruined.
Silvan Mizzi, through Portelli’s architect, Maria Schembri Grima, is seeking a permit (PA0522/23) to demolish the existing two-storey townhouse built in the early 1900s on Triq Villambrosa, which is characterised by two-storey buildings. The development will also replace a garden overlooking Triq Ċensu Bugeja.
Mizzi is a business partner in Trivium Projects with Portelli, who is the president of Ħamrun Spartans.
Proposing the retention of the façade on Triq Villambrosa, the developer wants to conduct excavation to build a reservoir at basement level, three garages and three maisonettes at ground floor level, 15 apartment units over four levels and four penthouse units.
A previous application, filed in 2021, to demolish the existing dwelling and construct basement garages, four maisonettes, nine overlying apartments and three penthouses had been withdrawn by the applicant.
Building ‘has degree of cultural heritage value’
In submissions to the Planning Authority, the superintendence objected to the application, stressing the “well-preserved streetscape” along both streets. It said the building proposed for demolition “has a degree of cultural heritage value, especially the entrance hall and the stone staircase”.
It recommended the retention of the entrance hall, stone staircase and the front rooms in the project. Moreover, it expected the developer to scale down the project, saying it would be in favour of a one-floor extension and a receded floor but no more than that.
The SCH requested an extended and detailed streetscape drawing with approved and proposed applications for both streets as well as a restoration method statement if any interventions are planned on the façade.
It also demanded a works method statement “with appropriate safeguards for the historic fabric of the façade” and the internal features recommended for retention of the existing dwelling.
When the file reached the office again after the comments were reviewed by the architect and developer, the SCH said that nothing had changed and that it “awaits an adequately amended proposal”.
In her report recommending approval, the case officer did not object to the total demolition of the house, excluding the façade but including the internal structures, since the site was not located in an urban conservation area and was not protected. She also noted that the “proposed overall design fits within the streetscape”.