Five-storey block proposed next to scheduled Għaxaq gardens

A five-storey block is being proposed just seven metres off the Villa Mekrech gardens, a Grade 2 listed property.

The proposed, 10 dwellings will take the place of a corer plot, thanks to the 2015 rules that allowed five-storey developments in most towns by applying a mathematical formula that translates storeys into metric heights.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage wants to limit the development to a maximum of three storeys, using stricter criteria issued in a 2020 circular by the ministry for planning, only “if it is clear that such a proposal does not have an adverse impact on views of the urban conservation area” and the scheduled Villa Mekrech.

The 2020 circular gives guidance on how to assess development applications within the settings of monuments and scheduled buildings: planners must make detailed assessments of the impact on protected buildings and identify mitigation measures with the support and approval of the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage.

The Superintendence is also objecting to a similar application on a site located 34m away from the scheduled gardens, also calling for lowering three-storey heights.

Objectors are worried about the substantial shadowing of the garden, which could negatively impact the vegetation in the garden. Din l-Art Ħelwa warned that the “jarring apartment block will spoil vistas from this historical property, alienating the historical property from its cultural landscape, and detracting from its value”.