Heritage watchdog repeats concerns over St Julian’s land reclamation plans
Development would require around 2,230 sqare metres of land reclamation in an archaeologically sensitive zone
The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has raised fresh concerns over proposed land reclamation at the St Julian’s Aquatic Sports Club, warning of the archaeological and visual sensitivity of the Balluta Bay waterfront.
The application - PA/06663/24 - seeks permission for land reclamation to build new water polo and training pools at the club’s site in Triq Ġorġ Borg Olivier.
The project includes a deck area with storage, reservoirs and a wave chamber beneath, as well as facilities at deck level such as a gym, clubhouse, committee rooms and changing areas. A restaurant with outdoor seating is also proposed.
The development will extend into the bay, requiring some 2,230 square metres of land reclamation. It will encroach on 197 square metres of a seagrass meadow (Posidonia oceanica).
Last year, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) gave its blessing to the application.
However, in its latest assessment following re-consultation, the SCH said it had reviewed new submissions and reiterated concerns first flagged in earlier correspondence.
The site lies along the St Julian’s Promenade and Balluta Bay, with the proposed footprint incorporating the Balluta seawall and stairs, which are scheduled at Grade 2.
It is also in close proximity to the recently scheduled Villa Palazzina Vincenti.
Several other scheduled properties are located within the bay, including the Carmelite Church, adjacent dwellings, and the St Julian’s Tower and Battery, which share lines of sight with Balluta Bay.
The superintendence noted that archaeological investigations requested in earlier correspondence and in a 2022 assessment letter have not yet been concluded or communicated. It reiterated that before any works start, trenches must be excavated and inspected, followed by underwater surveys after sediment settlement.
Should any cultural heritage material be identified, work must stop immediately to allow for further investigation, and may only continue in the absence of such findings, and must cease if any remains are encountered during construction.
The superintendence also found that “compressed photomontages” submitted by the applicant were of insufficient resolution to allow for proper assessment and requested higher-resolution versions.
The authority said it would comment further once the archaeological investigations are concluded and the LVIA is received.
Echoing the SCH's concerns, NGO Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) has also objected to the project, arguing that continued coastal intervention and commercial expansion in St Julian’s must be assessed in light of cumulative impacts on heritage, infrastructure and residents’ quality of life.
“Not only is St Julian's heritage being destroyed, one building at a time, but it is becoming unlivable for residents as the unregulated increase in hotel construction is not being matched by an equivalent strengthening of infrastructure, neither locally in St Julian's, nor in Sliema, Valletta, or nationally,” the NGO said.