A 19th century villa in St Julian's is to be turned into a four-star hotel after the Planning Authority approved the plans without first deciding on a request to schedule it. 

The permit for Villa St Ignatius was granted after the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage back-pedalled on its position that the building should be scheduled rather than developed.

The Superintendence had previously appealed to the Planning Authority to reject all development applications for the villa and schedule the building instead.

A request to schedule it has been pending since 2017. 

Villa St Ignatius, in Scicluna Street St Julian's and Old College Street Sliema, is part of a larger property that once housed one of the first Jesuit colleges in Malta and was mentioned as a landmark building as early as 1839.

Historians like Albert Ganado, Temi Zammit and Carmel Baldacchino have acclaimed the villa for its exceptional historic importance.

'Adding value'

Architect Antoine Zammit, who specialises in the conservation of such properties, explained that the proposed development, on which he had been working for years, was adding value to the run-down 19th-century villa.

His client, Paul Gauci, was granted a permit to turn the worn villa into a four-star hotel with 64 rooms and an additional three floors on the back of the building which will be restored to its former glory.

The hotel will include a restaurant and breakfast/bar area, an outdoor heated pool and deck area, a spa, an exhibition space, two levels of multi-purpose hall area, an outdoor catering area within the front garden, and two levels of underground parking.

Zammit told the board that the development does not detract from the value of the building, It distinguishes between what is genuinely historic and annexes that were added at a later stage.

He said that the local plan allowed the development of the front garden, which would have increased floor space by almost 1,000 square metres spread over three floors but which would have covered the villa itself. Instead, the proposal was additions to the villa and the development of adjacent land, with gains on visual integrity.

“The proposal starts from the valorisation of the villa and the retention of elements that embellish the villa, particularly its front garden as well as the inclusion of a public space where people can appreciate the beauty of this villa. The additional development is contemporary and complements the villa,” he stressed.

'Commercial activity in residential area'

Lawyer and nearby resident Franco Vassallo, objected to the project, saying that according to the North Harbour Local Plan, the site was in a residential area. Applicants are using the historic building to introduce a commercial activity in a residential area.

The PA ignored that the applicant irregularly demolished part of the villa with impunity and ignored that proceedings are pending to have the villa scheduled, which request is spearheaded by Din l-Art Ħelwa, he said.

“If you accept this application, you’ll be breaching the law,” he warned as he questioned how the developer was stating that the hotel would be run by 15 part-timers.

Planning lawyer Claire Bonello said the area should remain residential, especially when there is an overprovision of hotels.

Architect Jesmond Mugliett, representing residents of neighbouring properties and Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, said not enough consideration was given to the cultural heritage value of the villa. Such a development is not permitted and should not have been considered in the first place.

Nine votes to one

However, all board members, except NGO representative Romano Cassar ignored these concerns, including the request to schedule the villa pending since 2017, and voted in favour of the project on the pretext that it was in line with policies.

It was approved by nine votes to one, against a €3,000 bank guarantee deposited with the Building and Construction Authority, a €23,000 bank guarantee with the SCH and a payment of €29,000 to make up for the parking shortfall.

The villa was originally known as Bel-Vedere, and was once the large country villa of John Watson, a wealthy English merchant. According to historian Edward Said, the villa is perhaps the oldest extant structure in Balluta, preceding even the first Carmelite church in the area which was built in 1858.

In 1846, the property was bought by the English Missionary Association to house a facility that would train Anglican missionaries, and the Malta Protestant College was born.

This college remained in operation until 1865 and was soon purchased by three Maltese men who appeared intent on countering what they perceived as an undesirable spread of Protestantism in an overwhelmingly Catholic island.

They invited English Jesuits to run a college, paving the way for the opening of St Ignatius College in 1877. The church was completed four years later, along with extensions to the original structure to accommodate the school and boarders.

The college closed its doors in 1907, and a Birkirkara complex which housed young Jesuits in their formative years soon became its effective successor – St Aloysius College.

Villa St Ignatius remained vacant until 1915, when it became a military hospital treating soldiers injured during the Great War until it closed down in 1919.

While the church remained operational, the rest of the college was ultimately divided into residences.