The Planning Authority has given the green light to the Stivala Group to add a 90-room, 10-storey hotel alongside the already-approved 28-storey tower within the Townsquare Project in Tigné Sliema.

The project will also feature an additional 75 apartments within the tower, although its height will not be raised any further.

The go-ahead was given unanimously by the PA board at a meeting on Thursday, despite objections by neighbours who raised concerns about over-development and traffic congestion.

The project also features a 600-car parking area with overlying retail outlets, and the restoration of the historic Villa Drago, which will be used for retail.

The Townsquare Project was approved by the Planning Authority board in 2019, following years of controversy over the height of the high-rise building.

The proposed amendments consist of an increase in parking facilities for a further 200 spaces, a connection to Villa Drago from Qui Si Sana Lane, the hotel as well as two office blocks.

An amenities level in the tower has been introduced. It will include a spa and gym, as well as meeting rooms and living areas, and games rooms for both the hotel and the residential apartments in the tower.

The amended project also involves an extension of the area reserved for tables and chairs and a relocation of the main entrance and exit to the underground parking from Hughes Hallet Street to Triq Qui Si Sana.

Project architect Malcolm Xuereb insisted that 64 per cent of the project will remain an open space while Villa Drago will be restored and rehabilitated. Despite the changes, he said the volumes of the building remained relatively unchanged.

He explained that the increased number of apartments resulted from a reorganisation of the planned apartments, introducing a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroomed apartments. The number of apartments will increase from 159 to 234. Those on the uppermost levels of the tower will be duplex apartments. 

Residents present at the PA hearing objected to the application, expressing frustration about overdevelopment in the area as well as a number of hotels in the vicinity.

The new hotel block alongside the Townsquare tower.

A traffic impact study revealed that the daily trip generation was expected to increase by around 662 trips for a total of 3,188 trips. To mitigate this impact, upgrading works on neighbouring junctions were proposed.

Lawyer Claire Bonello, on behalf of NGO Din L-Art Ħelwa said the application was presented as an addition to the permit but the traffic impact assessment revealed the extent of extra trips that would be generated. Tigne was already congested and there was going to be a 20 per cent increase in traffic, she insisted.

The hotel will have a swimming pool and events area on the roof, causing more nuisance to the neighbours in the vicinity, she said.

I should be celebrating my birthday with my family. Instead, I am here speaking against a project which should not even be considered.- Resident

Residents expressed their frustration with the PA.

“It is not possible that you are ok with this monstrosity. What’s happening here is unbelievable. Money talks,” one angry resident said.

“We’re being given more of the same. The same shops, the same outlets. There is nothing positive about this project. The only positive thing you can do is turn it into a public car park and an overlying public garden,” another resident said.

One resident, who lives above the entrance tunnel, said she will have to endure 800 cars passing right beneath her home.

“I should be celebrating my birthday with my family. Instead, I am here speaking against a project which should not even be considered, she said.

The objectors also expressed concerns about fire hazards but these were quickly put to rest by former PA and ex-Malta Tourism Authority CEO Johann Buttigieg, now a consultant to the Stivala Group, who said the project included high-end fire safety plans, including fire pumps for sprinklers, firefighting lifts and large water reservoirs.

“It is in our interest to ensure that residents are not adversely affected by this development. The hotel will be a branded residence with a branded hotel to service the branded residences. They are intrinsically linked,” he said.

PA chairman Emmanuel Camilleri told the objectors that projects could only be refused by the authority if they were in breach of established policies.

“The easiest thing for me and for everyone here is to say no but I can assure you it won't stop here as the applicant can appeal and our decision may be overturned,” he said.

Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar coordinator Astrid Vella began quoting the local plan policies but she was quickly stopped, being told by PA officials that they knew how to read. She pointed out that the Environmental Impact Assessment only included five out of 11 major hotel projects in the area, leaving out six of them.

The case officer referred to policies designating the area in question for hotel development but Bonello added that the same policy stipulated that the hotel could not have adverse effects on residents.

At the end of an hours-long hearing, the PA unanimously approved the project by the board members present, along with €225,000 in bank guarantees and another €23,000 bank guarantee requested by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage.