Updated 5.58pm

A St Julian’s townhouse just behind the popular City of London bar could be demolished to make way for a five-storey three-star hotel.

An application (PA/06209/22), filed with the Planning Authority proposes to demolish the building's interior while retaining its façade and integrating it into the five-floor, 52-room, three-star hotel. The plans also include excavation for a swimming pool.

The application was submitted by Andrea Zammit Tabona and architect Edwin Mintoff. According to the PA website, the application is currently at an ‘initial vetting/ plotting stage’. 

Sirdar House, found on Main Street, is located within the locality’s Urban Conservation Area. UCAs are designated areas within villages, traditionally their historic cores, where special planning policies and restrictionsapply to safeguard the area's urban heritage.  

The application was flagged on Monday by St Julian’s mayor, Albert Buttigieg, who urged people to object to the development. 

“Demolishing this period townhouse/gardens and construct another soulless hotel is yet another loophole provided by the PA," he wrote. "According to policy, no development is allowed within UCA, except in Sliema and St Julian’s but only to build hotels/guesthouse."

Buttigieg told Times of Malta that the townhouse could date back to pre-World War II. He later corrected that statement, saying he believed the house to be "at least 200 years old." 

"Turning our core village into one construction site is not acceptable!" Buttigieg said.

Sirdar House is located metres away from the scheduled Villa Leoni and back in 2019 plans to develop the villa into a hotel were rejected by the Planning Authority.