Anger over plan to turn St Julian’s WWII spy site into hotel and flats

Updated 3.31pm

A historic St Julian’s property linked to counter-intelligence activity during the Second World War is at the centre of a planning dispute after proposals were filed to convert it into a boutique hotel and build two apartment blocks in its gardens.

The application, submitted by Mamdouh Altllas on behalf of AMIR Ltd, seeks outline development permission for a site bordering Triq il-Karmnu and Triq San Anglu, in a residential area between Balluta and Spinola bays (PA/08237/25).

Plans include partial excavation to establish the site’s height potential and proposed use.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) has objected to the proposals, saying the historic and architectural value of the property is high enough to warrant formal scheduling.

FAA says the application is "misleading" for suggesting that trees - shown here in yellow on parts of the site earmarked for building works - would not be felled. Graphic: FAA.

The SCH noted the site lies within St Julian’s Urban Conservation Area and appears on the 1916 Ordnance Survey map, indicating it is more than a century old.

It notes the site was linked to counter-intelligence activities during World War II.

On social media, historian and author Simon Cusens described the villa as a “very historic place”, citing links to the development of modern scouting and football NGOs, a band club, and its use as a covert wartime base led by Colonel Bertram Ede.

“It is a national heritage iconic site and must be preserved,” he wrote.

FAA flagged traffic concerns due to the narrowness of the streets nearby. Photo: PA.

Conservation group Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) appealed to the public to object to the plans, which it pointed out had been lodged on Christmas Eve “to avoid public scrutiny”. The application was validated and published on December 24, according to the PA website.

FAA urged the public to email objections to representations@pa.org.mt. The deadline for objections is today. 

The architect for the project is George Farrugia, with the plans drawn up by DAAA Haus design studio.

The developer declined to comment when contacted by Times of Malta.

Preliminary plans

Plans for the development show renders of two apartment blocks, one six storeys, in the grounds of the gardens, a private outdoor area for hotel guests and public spaces.

It is unclear if the existing property would be repurposed for use as a guesthouse or whether developers want to demolish it to make way for a new building, with the company currently seeking ‘outline development permission’ for the site.

The site of the plans. Graphic: PA.

Outline development permits are used to apply for preliminary use of a site, pending more detailed plans. In this instance, developers have applied for “Outline development for the partial excavation of the disturbed site to establish height potential and use”.

Plans show the hotel and two apartment blocks towering over the bordering wall on Triq San Anglu. The view from Triq il-Karmnu shows the tallest of the apartment blocks rising higher than nearby third-party properties.

Details about what the building would look like were not included but so far, the plans have received the green light from the PA’s design advisory committee.

'Misleading' application

FAA said the application “raises serious planning, heritage, and residential amenity concerns”, and that building a hotel on the site would violate its residential designation.

“The scale and intensity of development are excessive”, the group said. “The proposal replaces an existing garden full of mature trees by two apartment blocks and a hotel, resulting in a significant increase in built mass and residential density”.

The NGO said the proposal would result in permanent loss of green space, stressing private gardens were a “protected, important environmental and cultural asset” IT also raised traffic concerns in light of the area’s narrow streets.

FAA described the application as “misleading” and “replete with falsehoods”, including the application form stating that the felling of trees would not be required – a statement questioned by the NGO, which included a satellite image of the site showing trees in the areas marked for residential blocks.

Stressing that UCAs were designed to protect residential environments, not facilitate “commercial intensification”, the group called on the PA to refuse the application.

The local council filed its objection on Monday.

PN MP Albert Buttigieg is among those to have objected to the proposal, describing the area as “fragile and highly sensitive to intervention”.

“It undermines the historic, architectural and residential character of the oldest part of St Julian’s and contributes to the ongoing erosion of the village community”, the MP wrote. 

The application had registered 28 objections at the time of publication.