The Planning Authority has green lighted plans to turn a 19th century palazzo into a 13-room boutique hotel in a narrow road in Lija.

The two-storey palazzo, with an adjoining historical garden at the back, will have restoration done as well as internal and external alterations including a turret demolished to install a new lift and a receded floor extended.

The developers are Halmann Letting Limited, a subsidiary of the Halmann Group, which will turn the property, on the corner of Sir Ugo Mifsud and Triq Ramiro Barbaro, into a 26-bed hotel. 

A stone’s throw away from the Lija church, Casa Depiro is believed to be 400 years old. It lies within the urban conservation area. 

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has given the application its blessing, saying it did not object to the proposed project.

The superintendence had, however, objected to the extension of the receded floor since it would be out of character with the surroundings and since lightweight structures are not acceptable within an urban conservation area, especially given the potential visibility from the nearby piazza. 

Drawings were amended to address the superintendence’s concerns about the proposed increase in height and original placement of the lift.

The proposal also drew objections from the Lija council, which noted that, although the palazzo was not a scheduled building, it was an important one in terms of the historic and architectural character of the Lija UCA.

The council said it welcomed any proposal for the sensitive restoration and continued use of the palazzo but its use must respect the context of its location as well as the residents living in the vicinity.

The council is particularly concerned about the scale of the proposed boutique hotel, comprising 12 guest rooms, potentially accommodating a total of 26 guests. It will also have a sizeable restaurant with 30 covers plus additional seating in the courtyard and another 10 covers in the bar.

The hotel will have an impact on residents as a result of noise, odours and general disturbance, especially in the evenings, as well as having potential effects on traffic and parking, the council said.