PA set to approve Stivala’s rooftop lido extension

A Planning Authority case officer is recommending the regularisation of an illegal decking area on the rooftop of the Aqualuna lido in Gzira, on condition that all outdoor furniture is kept free from advertisement and that sun-umbrellas “are kept closed when not in use”.

A final decision by the Planning Commission is scheduled for 19 June.

The sanctioning of the rooftop decking area was requested by hotel owner and Malta Developers Association president Michael Stivala on behalf of the Bayview Hotel, the Kennedy Nova Hotel, 115 the Strand Hotel, and the Waterfront Hotel.

The case officer cited “the new operational needs of the four hotels” and the “holistic design and visual permeability” of the proposal as justification for regularisation.

Bizarrely, the case officer report states that although no details have been provided in relation to the proposed outdoor furniture, photos of the site taken after the illegal extension was already in place indicate “the proposed sundeck chairs and sun-umbrellas are made of light/earth colors palette” and are “holistic for the whole scheme.”

The case officer is also recommending the imposition of a €7,437.60 fine. Since the site lies within in the protected visual buffer zone for the Valletta World Heritage Site, it is up to the Planning Commission to decide whether the fine should be doubled.

The report noted the no-objection of the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage, which concluded that the rooftop decking area has no visual impact on views towards Valletta and Manoel Island.

Originally, the permit for the Gżira lido, which includes a restaurant protruding into the Gżira Creek, was issued on condition that the roof was left unencumbered by new structures, as laid out in the 2018 parliamentary resolution transferring the site to Stivala and his hotel consortium.

Moreover, the land transferring deed itself, approved by a parliamentary resolution, specifically states that “no roof structures and services shall be placed on the roof” of the lido.