PA set to refuse 'unacceptable' lift on Macina hotel

A proposed glass lift on top of the Macina hotel in Isla is unacceptable because it negatively impacts the skyline, a case officer has concluded.

The lift would have a negative visual impact on long distance views in this Area of High Landscape Value, the report says.

Senglea Hotel Operations is proposing an extension of the existing external lift and the construction of a bridge to connect the pool area with the roof. The proposal presented last year also includes the cladding of the restaurant’s facade.

The Macina is a Knights-era building that occupies a dominant position on the Isla seafront and once served as the Labour Party’s headquarters.

According to the case officer, the proposed lift extension would be highly conspicuous since it exceeds the height of the rear bastions creating a negative visual impact on the scheduled fortification.

The report also concludes that the proposed extensions would change the external appearance of the Macina and would therefore detract from the historical value of this important building.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has already expressed “grave concern” on the proposed lift extension noting that this “will make it stand proud on the surrounding structures rendering it evidently conspicuous.”

Following the submission of photomontages showing the visual impact of the proposed additions, the Design Advisory Committee, a panel which advises the Planning Authority on design issues, concluded that the proposal will have a deleterious impact on the Cottonera Area of High Landscape Value and has called for a revised proposal mitigating this impact.

The Isla local council is objecting to the proposed development warning this will have a negative visual impact on its surroundings.

A final decision by the Planning Commission is scheduled for 17 January.