Sliema Townsquare hotel scrapped as planning board approves revised plans

Updated 3.30pm

The controversial Townsquare project in Sliema will no longer include a 10-storey hotel, with the space instead being returned to public open space.

The Planning Board approved a series of minor amendments submitted by developer Michael Stivala following a Court of Appeal ruling last October that ordered the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal to reassess the project's expansion plans.

In 2023, the Planning Authority approved changes to the development that included a 10-storey hotel alongside the existing 28-storey tower.

Residents challenged that decision in court, and the Court of Appeal ruled that the developer could not build a hotel within an area designated as public open space, was precluded from adding restaurants in parts of the site zoned for residential use, and had to ensure that all apartments had a minimum internal floor area of 150 square metres.

The court referred the case back to the directorate for reassessment.

On Thursday, the revised plans were presented to the Planning Board as minor amendments.

The approved changes include the removal of the proposed 88-room hotel, the reintroduction of the pavilion that had formed part of earlier approved plans, the relocation of retail outlets, and changes to the internal layouts of the apartments to ensure each has a minimum internal area of 150 square metres.

The amendments do not affect the height or external appearance of the 28-storey tower.

Planning officials recommended approval, noting that the revised plans complied with planning policies, reduced the scale of development through the removal of the hotel and increased the amount of public open space.

In a statement on Thursday afternoon, the PA said the approved amendments "respond directly to the Court's judgment whiledelivering a more balanced project with improved architecture, enhanced public spaces and astronger connection between the various elements of the development."

"The redesigned landscaped areas will provide a more attractive and welcoming environmentfor residents, visitors and the wider community, creating larger, better-connected open spacesthat contribute positively to the surrounding urban environment," the PA added.

The hotel (yellow) will be replaced by the originally proposed pavilion (red). Photo: Screenshot from architect presentation to Planning Board.

The Townsquare project has been mired in controversy and legal challenges for almost a decade.

The original consortium behind the development - a joint venture between the Ganado, Gasan, Soler and Trapani-Galea families - obtained Planning Authority approval in 2016 to build a 38-storey tower on the site.

Residents immediately objected and, two years later, the planning appeals tribunal upheld an appeal filed by NGOs, sending the application back to the Planning Authority.

The developers subsequently downsized the project to a 28-storey tower, which received Planning Authority approval in 2019.

In 2021, the Townsquare consortium sold the project to Michael Stivala's ST Group. Stivala later sought to expand the development, arguing that the overall building volume would remain largely unchanged while 64 per cent of the site would remain as open space.

The proposed expansion would have increased the number of apartments from 159 to 234, added more than 200 parking spaces, introduced a 90-room hotel, and expanded the amount of office, retail and restaurant space.

The Planning Board unanimously approved those changes in 2023, but residents and NGOs challenged the decision. In February last year, the directorate upheld the Planning Board's approval before objectors successfully appealed to the Court of Appeal, leading to the latest revisions.