Starbucks plans for Mdina palazzo put on hold as objections flood in

Plans to house a Starbucks cafe inside an Mdina palazzo have been put on hold by the project’s architect as objections flood in and heritage authorities plan to seek advice from the national committee responsible for Malta’s world heritage sites.

Last month, it emerged that db Group was planning to convert the ground floor of Palazzo Santa Sofia to house US coffee giant Starbucks and UK cafe brand EL&N while restoring the building's facade.

But four weeks later, the proposal has been put on ice at the project architect’s request, according to the Planning Authority website.

Times of Malta has contacted db Group for comment.

While it is not clear when the application (PA/00253/26) was suspended, Friday saw the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) say the plans “may not” conform to Mdina planning policies, while noting the city is currently on Malta's 'tentative list' of sites intended for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Calling for further information about the project, including details of proposed signage and interior decorations, the SCH said it would bring the National World Heritage Technical Committee onboard to assess the impact of the application on Mdina’s world heritage bid.

Since the application’s publication, more than 160 objections to the project have been lodged, including from residents and Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna - the Malta Heritage Trust.

The palazzo, located opposite St Paul's Cathedral, is thought to date back to at least the 13th century and spans two buildings, featuring Gothic medieval architecture, interior courtyards and a passageway across a public road.

The SCH noted in its assessment of the application that the palazzo is within Mdina’s Urban Conservation Area (UCA) while emphasising the “very high archaeological sensitivity of the area”.

Plans for the cafes available on the PA website show point-of-sale areas, seating areas, storage and bathroom facilities, while specifying limits on interventions to the facade.

Objectors raise concerns

When the application first came to light, a db Group spokesperson told Times of Malta that both cafe brands had experience working within historic settings and that the outlets would be designed specifically for Mdina and feature only discreet external signage.

Those assurances seemed not to have quelled concerns about the project, however; Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna said in its objection that “despite the pledge ... that structural interventions are being kept to a minimum once the project is approved and in use, it is very difficult to control what goes on after that”.

“Experience has taught us that once a project is completed, it goes forgotten. This very special building ought to be protected against that.”

And the heritage NGO was not the only one to oppose the project; in a joint objection, two Mdina residents argued the change of use represented a “major intervention in a medieval palazzo of this significance”.

The residents said the application was part of a “broader pattern of escalating commercialisation of Mdina's palazzi” — pointing to last year's application to turn Palazzo Mangion into a five-star hotel and a now-suspended application to install a rooftop pool on an Mdina residence.

They also questioned the need for two cafes inside the same building, arguing there was “no justification” for such plans, which instead represented “commercial maximisation of a heritage asset, rather than sensitive adaptive reuse”.

Scores of objectors voiced their opposition to letting in chains or franchises, with one person writing that the city “is one of the few remaining places in Malta that feels authentic and true to its spirit and history”.

Another said, “There are more than enough coffee shops of character. Please keep the larger franchises out of Mdina”, while a fellow objector said the chains would “cheapen” the city’s appearance.

One commentator said the “commercialisation of Mdina should stop. Such a historical building should be put to better use than a commercial outlet”.

Multiple objectors pleaded with authorities to "leave Mdina alone”, while others drew inspiration from the city's nickname, championing the former capital's role as Malta's 'silent city'.

One concerned citizen merely wrote, “No!”

The window to register objections to the project closed on Friday.