Proposed guesthouse in Mosta UCA sent back to the drawing board

A proposed development (PA/08223/25) for a 15-bedroom guesthouse on a narrow road in Mosta has been sent back to the drawing board after objections from residents.

The development, by K3M Vella Properties, seeks to transform an existing terraced house into a fully functional guesthouse with a gym, spa, pool and garden. The original development also envisaged a rooftop bar, which ended up being a point of contention for residents objecting to the development.

The Planning Commission granted a conditional approval to the development on Wednesday morning, subject to certain changes, including the removal of a rooftop bar. 

During the commission meeting, a group of residents in the area raised several concerns about the impact of the development on the narrow Mosta road.

Residents said parking is already an issue in the narrow road. Photo: Google Maps

Thomas De Martino, on behalf of the Mosta Local Council, said parking was a major issue for the development. He said the development will attract more people to the area, increasing density and aggravating the already problematic parking situation, especially since on-site parking will not be provided.

He also said the development could become a noise nuisance, given the commercial services that will be offered at the guesthouse.

Councillor De Martino argued that the nature of the area – a narrow street in an urban conservation area – does not allow for such developments.

“Triq L-Oratorju is an old residential area with a certain character. A development like this goes against its identity, apart from being an inconvenience for residents.”

Another resident, Matthew Magro, also raised the parking issue. He said the road is extremely narrow, whereby even the loading and unloading of goods will cause an issue.

He also said that residents were already experiencing a noise problem because of a nearby bar, having to call the police station every night to file a noise report. “This development will stand right next to residents. This is the biggest inconvenience for residents,” he said.

Resident David Debono said he lives close to the project and is concerned that the development will tower over neighbouring properties.

He also said that he has filed many reports with the police about the existing noise problem, and this development will only aggravate the situation.

Another resident questioned the electrical load breakdown provided by the developers. Initially, the development required an Enemalta substation. Since then, a new breakdown showed that the required load was half that originally submitted, and so the development would no longer require a substation.

She asked for clarification as to how the same development suddenly required half the electrical supply to operate.

Charles Azzopardi, the project architect, clarified that the development was downsized to reduce the load requirement. This was done by retaining part of the original property and redesigning a number of rooms. He said certain commercial services were also reduced to bring the load requirement down.

He added that the development would not be able to provide parking or a loading bay without demolishing the existing building. Magro rebutted that this proves that the concept is not appropriate for a road in a UCA area.

Two more residents – Anna Scerri and Janette Cassar – were especially concerned with the rooftop bar. They said the bar would generate noise from guests and would threaten their ability to enjoy the privacy of their own rooftops.

At the end of the session, the commission agreed to approve the development, but only if the rooftop bar is removed from the plans and the garden makes use of a diverse range of endemic trees.

Elizabeth Ellul, who was chairing the session, said the commission is not against Class 3A guesthouses in urban conservation areas, and so would not reject the proposal on those grounds.

However, certain issues would still need to be addressed. She also flagged the ground-floor cafeteria, which must be connected to the guesthouse and not be a standalone service.

She also suggested that the rooftop bar area be connected to an existing room, so that it can be used by a limited number of guests.

The commission asked that fresh drawings be presented to reflect these changes.