New Mdina guesthouse project seeks rooftop pool

Hotelier Justin Zammit Tabona is proposing a 12-room guesthouse within the existing three levels of Casa Isabella in Mdina.

The building is located in the charming alley, Sqaq Ferdinandu, situated off Magazine Street.

The proposal does not involve any change to the existing height of the building and is limited to minor internal and external alterations including the creation of a new ‘intermediate floor’.

The only controversial aspect of the proposal is the inclusion of a roof top pool.

This is because in 2022 a technical committee advising the government on the conservation of World Heritage Sites in Malta had called for a ban on rooftop swimming pools in the old capital city of Mdina.

The committee chaired by Mgr Joseph Vella Gauci. liaises with UNESCO and includes representatives of the Superintendence, the Environment and Resources Authority and the Planning Authority, to provide its advise on matters affecting World Heritage Sites like Mdina and Valletta.

The committee’s objection to rooftop pools in Mdina had been cited by the Superintendencefor Cultural Heritage in its objection to a similar proposal made by Easysell Limited for a residential development in Triq is-Salvatur.

On that occasion the SCH warned  swimming pools at roof level create an aesthetically unacceptable impact on aerial views of Mdina, and would create a need for screening walls which would increase the visual impact. The SCH also referred to the direction given by the National World Heritage Technical Committee to object “in principle to any swimming pools at rooftop level in Mdina”.  The Easysell development, which involved the rehabilitation of the building, had been approved after the rooftop pool was eliminated from plans.