The fate of a Sliema townhouse and its mature garden remains in the balance as an application to replace the green enclave with 18 apartments and 32 garages lands on the Planning Authority board’s agenda again this week.

Following the case officer’s report, which had recommended PA/09273/19 for approval, the board will now decide whether the controversial permit should be approved, although the case could also be adjourned for further consultation.

The decision to grant the permit had been suspended until the Planning Commission’s site visit. But despite the periodical uploading of fresh plans for the property at 103, Manuel Dimech and Parisio streets, no attempt was made to preserve the mature garden, dating back to the mid-late 19th century, according to objector and architectural heritage practitioner Edward Said.

He has reiterated the garden’s “significant” botanical and ecological importance, adding “it is simply shocking that anyone could have the conscience to propose and endorse the destruction of an oasis such as this”.

An aerial view of the property, outlined in yellow. Image: Google Maps

Said had strongly objected to the planning application, saying it would result in the destruction of a property in the heart of one of Sliema’s oldest streets.

Its destruction ran counter to PA policies encouraging the protection of heritage, urban conservation areas and street­scapes and would also result in the loss of a substantial green enclave, a stone’s throw away from the historic and scheduled Villa Bonici.

The proposal would have an irreversible impact on cultural heritage due to the unjustified loss of the historical fabric

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage had also maintained that the existing property, including its belvedere, had significant architectural importance and that the proposed development, which also included three penthouses and four offices, did not provide an adequate building height transition from the urban conservation area and to protect the context.

The garden in full view from street level.

But the directorate’s comments on representations stated that the “garden in question has no protection status and falls outside the UCA boundary”.

It said the proposed development was in an area of similar scale development and recommended the application for approval on policy grounds, prompting objectors to lose heart, as the case was dismissed in “one fell swoop”, and to prepare to consider the idea of appealing.

Objections had stated that the proposal would have an “irreversible impact on cultural heritage due to the unjustified loss of the historical fabric”, the replacement of the townhouse with an incongruent building and the complete obliteration of its mature garden.

Last year, thousands of residents signed a petition against the project. They believed the property should be retained in its entirety, including its extensive formal garden, pointing out the ornateness and architectural value of the highly stylised back façade on Parisio Street.