The Birkirkara local council has joined the scores of people and entities objecting to a proposed five-floor care home, located only six metres from the historic Wignacourt aqueducts.
The council’s main objections centre around the magnitude of the proposed building which would dwarf the scheduled aqueducts as well as the impact that the project would have on the streetscape of two-storey buildings of similar style and proportions.
The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) had already registered its strong objections to the proposed project to demolish the former Albatross Hotel, excavate four levels of basement garages and construct five overlying floors and a receded one at roof level on Notabile Road.
Located in Birkirkara’s development zone, the site lies within the setting of the Grade 1 scheduled building, a designation intended to protect the nearby aqueducts.
The hotel structure does not have any cultural heritage value requiring its preservation, so the SCH said it had “no objection in principle” to its demolition.
The Wignacourt aqueduct was built by the Knights of Saint John to carry water from springs in Dingli and Rabat to Valletta. It was inaugurated in 1615 and remained in use until the 20th century. It is a Scheduled Grade 1 monument.
The council, through architect Joe Bugeja, noted that the area of the proposed development between Notabile Road and B. Bontadini Street is a villa area and a designated priority area where a residential home for the elderly is not one of the listed acceptable uses of this policy.
The streetscape will be severely impacted
The building height limitation of the area allows the development of two floors plus a semi-basement. This development translates to a maximum allowable height of 13.5 metres but the height limitation adjustment policy for retirement homes allows an additional two floors above the height limitation permitted in the Local Plan. This means that the maximum allowable height grows to 22 metres.
“In this case, the streetscape will be severely impacted by the scale of this development, as the residential home will tower over the surrounding properties,” infringing the policy covering retirement homes, the council said.
The adjacent buildings will also experience undue overshadowing due to the height and scale of the proposal, it added.
The council said the proposed project will also have a dramatic impact on the Wignacourt aqueducts, which will be dwarfed by the proposed development. Moreover, the proposed excavation of four floors beneath street level is likely to damage the heritage.
The proposed care home, the council said, will increase traffic and, if approved, may also set a precedent for similar developments in the future.
The Environment and Resources Authority filed its no objection to the proposed development.