Sacre Coeur Parish church set to disappear from Sliema’s skyline

The Sacre Coeur parish church will disappear from the Sliema skyline when viewed from Manoel Island because of a vertical extension of the Sliema Hotel.

This emerges from a visual impact assessment for two other high-rise hotels being proposed by Carlo Stivala at the Ferries in Sliema. The two hotels will be situated at the corners with Triq San Vincenz and  Triq il-Lunzjata.

The impact study prepared by environmental consultants ADI for these two hotels contains photomontages which include other approved developments in the area, but which have not yet been constructed such as Michael Stivala’s Sliema Hotel and the Townsquare development.

Apart from confirming the marked impact of the two new hotels on inner Sliema views, the study also reveals the broader impact of other developments approved in the area on viewpoints which were ignored in previous visual studies.

Hotel developments will impact on church views

The two new hotels proposed by Carlo Stivala will rise to 15 floors and 16 floors respectively.

According to the assessment, the hotels will contribute to the “further overshadowing of the Sacre Coeur Parish Church” adding to “the further reduction of the traditional setting and context of the Church”, when viewed from an eastward direction from Triq ix-Xatt ta’ Tigné.

From this viewpoint the “mass and bulk of the new hotels” will become the dominant feature which “draws the eye” of passersby.

But when seen from Manoel island it is the already approved vertical extension to Michael Stivala’s Sliema Hotel which “almost completely screens” the Sacre Coeur Church, whose twin spires and cupola are still presently visible from this direction.

The two new hotels will also significantly change the skyline of Triq Manoel Dimech by introducing “a substantially higher and bulkier building element” towering over existing buildings.

But from this point of view, it is the already approved 27-storey high Townsquare development which also belongs to Michael Stivala that will become the tallest building on the skyline. It rises behind and to the right of the proposed hotels.

Drastic impact on Triq San Vincenz

On their own the two new hotels will have a marked impact on views from Triq San Vincenz where the development will create “an expansive 11- to 12-storey party wall in the direct line of sight”. It will also screen the existing views across Marsamxett Harbour “severing the visual and cultural connection with the harbour, including the sea, Manoel Island, and Floriana”.

An Urban Design Study also conducted by ADI states that the “uncomfortable experience” of those living in this street resulting from overshadowing and the “sense of being overwhelmed” will be “exacerbated by the proposed hotels”.

The report notes that building heights at the southern end of Triq San Vincenz have not yet risen to the extent evident on Triq il-Lunzjata, Triq San Piju V, and Triq Santa Rita and describes the existing height profiles on the corner of Triq San Vincenz and Triq ix-Xatt as an example of an “appropriate height transition”.

However, according to the study, the two new hotels will raise the height on one corner to  a staggering 47m.

“This will have significant detrimental implications for the visual quality and quality of the public realm where Triq San Vincenz interfaces with Triq ix-Xatt”, the report states.

Montages showing different viewpoints of the proposed project

Montages showing different viewpoints of the proposed project

Montages showing different viewpoints of the proposed project

The report denounces “the detrimental impacts of excessively high height to width ratios” which are already evident “in the poor quality and unpleasantness of the public realm in these locations”. This sensation is prevalent at the interface between the Strand and the narrow UCA streets running north from the seafront, such as Triq il-Lunzjata.

The visual impact assessment suggests that the only way to mitigate the major impact on several views is through a redesign and a reduction in the height of the proposed hotels.

Following the presentation of the visual assessment and revised plans keeping the same height, the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has made it clear that it is strongly objecting to the hotel developments, noting the creation of high blank party walls and of massive volumes bearing onto the Urban Conservation Area.

The cultural heritage watchdog concluded that the development as proposed will have “an unacceptable impact on this area”.