Plans to keep a Sliema villa as a home instead of turning it into a block of flats have been welcomed by NGOs, heritage experts and the local council after a decade-long battle against contentious planning applications for the prestigious property.

It’s the latest “twist to the saga” of Villa Degiorgio, a “handsome” town house, now under new ownership, on Triq il-Kbira in the heart of Sliema’s urban conservation area.

It comes after a long string of attempts by its former owner to tear down the mid-20th-century property at the prominent intersection of Dingli Street and High Street.

The new owner’s scaled-down plans have been praised by environment NGO Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, a vocal objector, which, together with thousands of local residents, had campaigned for some 10 years against the demolition of the house so it could be turned into a block of apartments. 

Despite violating policies, a permit was eventually granted, FAA pointed out. So the news that it was now to be kept as a single town house was described as “excellent” for the architectural context and the quality of life in the area.

It also avoids making traffic problems worse at the landmark Three Trees junction, it said.

Planning application 3720/22 by Jie He and perit Jingyao Xu proposes to reduce the dwelling units from six to one in an unusual turn of events. 

Awaiting recommendations, it also proposes internal and external alterations, with a different layout from the approved permit PA3579/21, while retaining the existing built fabric and constructing a swimming pool in the backyard. 

Back in the day, FAA had consistently called upon the authority to “prevent the obliteration of one of Sliema’s last remaining green enclaves and the loss of its most iconic and truly picturesque traditional streetscapes”.

Strong demand for town houses

It said it always maintained there was a strong demand for town houses and, therefore, “no reason for the Planning Authority to betray its remit of protecting Malta’s heritage and quality of life by constantly caving into developers’ demands to build blocks of flats that ruin UCAs due to their disproportionate size and jarring designs”. 

“Other than a heritage value, these properties also have an economic value,” - councillor Paul Radmilli

The environment and heritage NGO questioned what became of Prime Minister Robert Abela’s pledges on several occasions to give more importance to design and to reconstitute the Aesthetics Board.

The local council, which had objected in detail to the Villa Degiorgio application to build apartments, said the fact that the prestigious property was sold – and the buyer was retaining it as a house – clearly showed there was a market for residential homes in the heart of urban areas, even in busy towns like Sliema.

“Other than a heritage value, these properties also have an economic value,” said councillor Paul Radmilli.

The post-war, detached, two-storey house was located in Sliema’s old hub, characterised by a stretch of well-preserved, traditional town houses, predominantly on two floors.

In his reaction to the change of plans, Radmilli referred to “pockets of Sliema with rows of houses that are still offering the traditional streetscape we love to promote in our tourism marketing on the way to the airport and that are supposedly protected by the UCA policies.

“Where the traditional architecture is still legible with a row of houses, the moment one is demolished and converted into a block of apartments, it is likely the whole streetscape will be changed,” he said about the far-reaching consequences of the reversal of plans. 

Green enclaves hidden from view

The “good news” was also hailed by a heritage conservation architect, who sensed a “kind of shift in approach and culture towards certain heritage-sensitive areas that do not enjoy full protection”.

More emphasis must be put on the protection of back gardens and their contexts, he added.

“The PA needs to resuscitate the identification and protection of green enclaves, often hidden from public view, but nonetheless lungs at the hearts of our intensifying urban areas. 

“Such protection will ensure that soft landscaping is maintained, with mature trees preserved and where necessary replenished,” said the conservation architect, who preferred not to be named.

Former owner Philip Degiorgio, who had had his umpteenth application to develop a block of flats on the site turned down, remained adamant it would be turned into apartments despite several failed attempts.

In 2018, the landmark Sliema villa was spared demolition when more than 2,300 people objected to the “devastating” effect of this on one of the oldest Sliema junctions.

They objected on the basis of its impact on the area’s historic skyline, as well as the destruction of the rare garden enclave behind it.

In 2021, the PA approved new plans by Degiorgio to reduce the number of approved apartments from eight units to six on the same area as previously approved permits.