Villa Rosa owners welcome public consultation on local plan change, commit to project revisions

The owners of Villa Rosa have voiced their support in favour of a public consultation on local plan changes in the area.

“We see this process as an important step towards balancing our development plans with the needs of the community and the Government’s goals of promoting quality tourism, expanding open spaces, and safeguarding the environment,” they said in a statement on Thursday.

Last week, the Villa Rosa site made headlines after it emerged that Cabinet voted on a proposal to change the local plan.

MaltaToday reported that the vote in question had left a number of ministers uncomfortable, as they noted that the move, which will accommodate developer, Anton Camilleri, contradicts comments made by Prime Minister Robert Abela, when he had stated that local plans cannot be changed on a whim.

In a statement on Thursday, the Villa Rosa owners said they view the local plan change as an opportunity to come up with a new proposal to the Planning Authority and deliver an even better project.

“One that not only offers a superior tourism product but also provides meaningful benefits to the local community. In this regards, we are willing to revise the project,” they said.

Revision to the project

The owners said they commit to reduce the height from the current proposed application and establish the building heights to ensure no future applications for additional floors.

Revisions also include the retainment of the gross floor area within what is allowable for the Villa Rosa area under current policies.

“[To] Create a new public open space, which currently does not exist and was not included in the current approved permit, as all open spaces were private,” the owners said.

They also promised to withdraw any development in the current approved permit to protect environmentally sensitive areas and commit to rehabilitating and safeguarding these areas.

“In consultation with environmental entities, we will plant indigenous trees within the project,” they said. “Bring luxury international hotel brands to diversify the product offering and attract high-quality tourism to the country.”

In a bid to eliminate loading or unloading traffic through St George’s Bay, owners commit to introducing an internal road. “[To] invest in the necessary infrastructure to avoid placing additional strain on the existing systems.”

“We are willing to be part of a vision that aligns both with sustainable development and the broader aspirations for the area,” the statement concluded.

Current proposal

The current proposal envisions two towers of 27 and 34 storeys over St George’s Bay to host 789 serviced apartments, 247 hotel roomes and a total 16,000sq.m of office space in a project from developer Anton Camilleri, his son Adelbert and Garnet Investments.

Anton Camilleri justifies the increased volumes of the project, with gross floor area rising from 141,000sq.m to a staggering 237,000sq.m, by referring to an 11,000sq.m ‘Pjazza Tritoni-size’ open square along the beach. The area around the restored Villa Rosa will be retained as a 5,600 q.m private garden landscaped with indigenous trees and shrubs.