Old Mellieha house gets the chop

A two-storey Mellieha farmhouse deemed to have “vernacular value” by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage will still be demolished to make way for a maisonette, six apartments and a penthouse.

The Superintendence objected to the complete demolition of the Triq Bronja farmhouse, insisting the façade should be retained and integrated in the development. It called for a design “guided by the relatively austere facade of the existing property.”

The project’s architect refused this request, arguing that in the same street similar facades have been demolished and new blocks have already been erected.

The architect also argued that the retention of the façade would have had a “very negative impact on the applicant’s wealth.” Moreover, retaining the façade created a design problem as it was higher than the proposed façade for each floor.   

The case officer rebutted that there was only one similar building which was demolished as a result of a permit issued by the Planning Authority in 2017. But despite the case officer’s objection the Planning Commission chaired by architect Simon Saliba concluded that due to the site context the existing façade in Triq il-Bronja can be demolished.