Mellieħa ridge hotel gets extended floor

A hotel situated on a ridge overlooking Għadira Bay has received the go-ahead to develop a full floor instead of an already approved penthouse level.

The Planning Authority approved the extension on the Panorama Hotel, located on a prominent and sensitive ridge in Mellieħa.

The hotel is currently five floors high. It dates back to the late 1960s and had a penthouse level approved in 2010 on condition that it would be removed if the hotel ceased operations.

Plans to construct three new storeys were scrapped following public outcry in the locality with the developer opting for an extension of the penthouse level into a fully-fledged floor.

Mellieħa Mayor Dario Vella objected to the project due to its visual impact. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage had also objected due to the sensitive location of the hotel which, from some viewpoints, obscures the Mellieħa parish church.

The plan on the left shows the receded floor approved in the past and the plan on the right shows the latest approved permit

Original plans to change the receded floor in to a full floor were abandoned following direction by the PA board when the application was recommended for refusal.

But following further changes and the shifting of services from the roof of the hotel, the majority of board members indicated that they would vote in favour.

ERA chairman Victor Axiak, NGO representative Annick Bonello and economist Gilmour Camilleri still voted against the proposal due to the visual impact of the extra floor. 

All other eight board members voted for the project. 

After the case officer recommended a refusal, in December the Planning Board indicated that the permit could be issued if further changes to plans were made.

New plans were submitted, which included a setback of approximately 3.2m on facades on Triq Dun Belin Azzopardi and Triq Ġnien Ingraw and a setback of approximately 1.8m on the facade facing the ridge edge.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage was not consulted again following the submission of the latest plans.

The hotel was not eligible for extra storeys envisaged in the Height Limitation Adjustment Policy for hotels which specifically excludes ridge edges.

The North West Local Plan sets the building height limitation of the area as three floors with basement.