The Planning Authority on Thursday gave its blessing to the shifting of the iconic Wembley ice-cream factory facade in Msida, which will be incorporated into the seven-storey office block being developed.

Part of the facade will be meticulously dismantled, according to a specific method statement, and re-erected in another part of the site, covering almost 2,000 square metres, which will replace the vacant Wembley ice cream factory built in the early to mid-20th century.

The factory’s facade was described by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage as having high architectural and aesthetic value.

The superintendence and the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee did not object to the proposal, after having reviewed the submitted method statement.

They gave their go-ahead for the existing facade to be dismantled, restored and reconstructed in the centre of the proposed new project with the additional floors being in the Art Deco style.

They also insisted that any ground disturbance works, including removal of floor tiles, clearing of debris, excavation and the passage of services, are to be monitored by an archaeologist in view of the archaeological potential of the area.

The application approved on Thursday also included minor amendments to the permit granted last year, with the biggest bone of contention during the Planning Authority board meeting being the floor to ceiling height of the underground garages which were minimally smaller than those required by sanitary regulations.

While the Planning Directorate insisted on a refusal, the PA board members did not see this as a problem and gave the application the green light after an engineer’s report concluded that the development is safe for users and includes mitigation measures in compliance with local laws, regulations, standards and guidelines.

The application by Emil Bonello Ghio had originally foreseen an 18-storey high-rise on the site in Triq Rue D’Argens, but the plans were dramatically scaled back and now foresee just seven floors with four basement parking levels.

The application itself sought permission for minor alterations to the permitted project, mainly consisting of amendments to the internal layout of most floors.