Around 100 residents and NGOs have joined forces to object to a proposal to develop a seven-storey block in a two-floor villa area at The Gardens in St Julian’s.
Situated in Triq Ivo Muscat Azzopardi, developer Adrian Muscat from ACMUS Group Ltd is proposing to demolish an existing villa, excavate three garage levels and construct six ground level apartments with pools, 28 apartments from level 1 to 5, four recessed apartments at level 6 with pools and terraces on the 7th floor.
Planning lawyer Claire Bonello, representing the objectors, insisted that the proposed development constituted an unacceptable intensification of use and density, in breach of planning policies which envisage the reduction of densities in urban settlements.
She said the increase in height exceeded that provided for in the local plan, adding that there was no adequate transition to the UCA area. The massing, volume and design of the proposed development were ruining the streetscape and context which is characterised by detached and semi-detached villas.
The proposed development would have a deleterious impact on the skyline and the design is not in keeping with the uniform design of the other buildings which characterise the streetscape, she said. The development will increase traffic in the area which residents fear will become an extension to Paceville.
A plan submitted to the PA by the project’s architect. Photo: PAThe objectors include St Julian’s mayor Guido Dalli and former mayor and Nationalist MP Albert Buttigieg who said The Gardens was one of the remaining green lungs in the locality.
NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa objected to the application saying it was seriously concerned about the impact of the proposed building on this urban landscape. “The seven-storey apartment building does not suit the character and distinctness of this traditional streetscape,” it said.
The time to file an objection to PA2579/23 closes on Friday, June 9.
The same site is covered by a permit granted to property owner David Pullicino in December 2019 and endorsed the following May and which went completely under the radar. This application had gone unnoticed, with residents claiming that the application was removed soon after it was affixed.
This permit allowed the construction of one terraced house, 16 three-bedroom apartments, seven two-bedroom apartments, a single one-bedroom apartment and 43 parking spaces at the basement level.
The Planning Commission, composed of Simon Saliba, Stephania Baldacchino and Mireille Fsadni, had granted the permit despite strong objections from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee. The latter had stressed that the proposed project would adversely affect the Urban Conservation Area.
“The Superintendence is still of the opinion that the proposed volumes are out of scale with the surrounding buildings and streetscapes, especially considering that it is located between the Urban Conservation Area and a villa area,” the SCH had added.
The permit was granted after the commission requested the architect to setback by 1.5 metres on the side abutting the UCA.