An application by former prime minister Joseph Muscat’s lawyer, Pawlu Lia, to extend the topmost level of an office block in Valletta to turn it into a boardroom, is likely to be refused, much to the relief of heritage and environmental NGOs.
The Planning Authority’s board meets today to discuss PA 04958/19 which seeks to extend a permitted receded floor. The site in question is an 18th century house at 162/163 Old Bakery Street, at the corner with Old Theatre Street.
The site already has a permit for two additional floors plus the overlying set-back floor. The application had originally been turned down but the decision was somehow overturned in December 2018.
The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage objected to the proposed 38-square-metre extension, saying that the room had to be receded even further. Despite fresh plans submitted as part of the planning process, the superintendence said the proposed structure was not set back as much as expected so it could not be considered favourably.
According to the Planning Directorate, the Design Advisory Committee found no objection to the proposal but the fact that the structure is not receded as much as that of adjacent properties means that the proposed project runs counter to PA policies.
The directorate recommended the application for refusal.
The proposed project, dubbed the “Valletta towers”, has drawn objections from NGOs Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar and Din l-Art Ħelwa.
FAA coordinator Astrid Vella said the project was going to ruin Valletta’s protected skyline and its character.
“Valletta and its skyline should be afforded the highest protection if it is not to lose its Unesco World Heritage status. Valletta is a defining part of our architectural heritage and cultural landscape, precious to all Maltese,” she said.
She said the capital city’s unique historic character was being ruined by over-commercialisation which could be handled in a much more sensitive manner if the PA were doing its job properly.
Din l-Art Ħelwa president, Alex Torpiano, warned: “We’d be creating a dangerous precedent if we suddenly decided that Valletta’s skyline was not important and started adding floors to buildings.”