New owner applies to retain Villa Degorgio as single townhouse

In a rare case which defies the prevailing trend for developers to fit in more apartments within the shell of old townhouses, the new owner of Villa Degorgio in Sliema has applied to downsize the approved development of six apartments to a single dwelling.

The post-war, detached two-storey house lies in a very prominent intersection between High Street and Dingli Street, in the area known to residents as it-Tliet Siġriet – for the three trees in the roadside intersection. This is considered to be the hub of Sliema’s old village core and still has a stretch of two-floor townhouses.

As proposed the development will still include an additional penthouse level above the existing townhouse but excludes any lateral extension on the two sides of the building. The application also foresees a swimming pool in the building’s back yard.

The latest application presented by new owner Jie He represents a twist in the recent planning history of the site, characterised by attempts by previous owner Philip Degiorgio to turn the villa into an apartment block.

In 2011 the Planning Authority (PA) had refused an outline application for the demolition of Villa Degiorgio and the construction of a number of residential apartments with underlying garages.

The PA board had concluded that the development would compromise the visual integrity of the existing streetscape, which is until today predominantly that of two floors. The board also expressed concern that the application would have eliminated one of Sliema’s “green lungs”, on account of its large garden.

But the decision was partly over turned by the PA’s Environment and Planning Review Tribunal which allowed the internal demolition of the building to make way for eight apartments while the new development was limited to the building depth of the existing building. 

The decision to issue the outline permit was subsequently followed by the issue of a full development permit in 2016.

In 2018 the Planning Authority refused another application proposing the complete demolition of the building and its substitution with a new building four floors higher than the existing villa, consisting of two basement levels, three full floors and three receded floors. In a sign of strong opposition to the application the Planning Authority had received a staggering 2,372 objections by residents including the Sliema council.

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