Residents in Sliema will find out later this month whether three traditional houses on Triq il-Madonna tas-Sacro Cuor will be converted into an even higher apartment block than originally planned.   

Numbers 21/22/23 on Triq il-Madonna tas-Sacro Cuor which are set to be turned into apartments.

Kellar Limited, the company behind the development, was given the green light in 2016 to turn the row of one-storey townhouses into a six-storey block of 12 flats, two penthouses and three floors of basement parking.

That application had been initially refused before 2016 but was then approved by the Appeals’ Board after new drawings were filed. Developers had vowed to retain the original facades of the traditional houses. 

The owner then applied to build a seventh floor of apartments onto the block – making it an eight-storey building. 

This is a beautiful little street in Sliema that is going to be ruined.

The hearing will take place on November 21. 

The news is causing anger with one resident – who did not wish to be named – saying: “This is a beautiful little street in Sliema that is going to be ruined. This is our heritage and the demolition must stop. One house on the street was already turned into a block of apartments and now the same thing is happening to these houses as well.” 

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage expressed “grave concerns” during the original application in 2016 and said it objects to any further negative impact created by additional floors.

National heritage group Dinl-Art Ħelwa also objected at the time saying: “The property in question joins a row of protected and very well-preserved scheduled townhouses which form a pleasant streetscape. Building a block of apartments on protected buildings will destroy the aesthetic of the whole streetscape resulting in loss of historical and architectural value.”

Third-party groups also raised concerns in relation to “the structural stability of the adjoining old property resulting from demolition, rock cutting and excavation works, and water flow.”

However, their attempts failed. 

Architect and Din l-Art Ħelwa representative Tara Cassar told Times of Malta: “The decision by the Planning Authority has been abhorrent from the start. This block of apartments is simply too high for the width of such a small street. 

“Agreeing to leave the house’s traditional façade and build above it is simply superficial. 

This is a beautiful little street in Sliema that is going to be ruined

“This is not the way to treat historical buildings and the planning process is clearly broken. 

“Developers use that to their advantage by making multiple applications for minor changes. They keep pushing and pushing until they get what they want. It’s another example of the greed that is happening in Malta and shows the lack of consistency between cases.”

She added: “The damage has already been done in this case, but hopefully things have changed slightly since 2016, given that those who failed to object to our heritage being torn down, can clearly see what the consequences of inaction have led to three years later.”