Superintendence still objecting to five-storey block in Qrendi

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage is still objecting to the construction of a five-storey apartment block in Qrendi despite new plans that retain an old farmhouse.

In its latest submission, the cultural heritage watchdog stated that the proposal “remains unacceptable from a cultural heritage perspective,” while reiterating recommendations made in July.

The SCH had previously warned that the development, that lies just outside the urban conservation area some 85 metres from the parish church, would result in blank party walls, which could only be mitigated by further similar developments. It warned this could lead to a negative domino effect on the Urban Conservation Area. Furthermore, the SCH recommended that development towards the rear of the site, currently vacant land, should be downsized and terraced to ensure its massing does not have an overbearing impact on the UCA.

Objectors argue that the massive development will erode Qrendi’s historical core through “an overbearing building that is entirely incongruent with its immediate surroundings and context.”

They also contend that the height limitations for the area, enshrined in the Local Plans, constitute maximum thresholds for development. All applications, they argue, must be assessed in line with other policies, including the Development Control Design Policy, which prioritises a contextual approach.

More than 500 objections have been submitted against the revised plans for the site that is opposite the Helen Keller Resource Centre, between Triq il-Kurat Mizzi and Triq il-Konvoj. The developer is Darren Ciantar.

While the original plans proposed the demolition of an existing old farmhouse, the latest plans retain the building but add three receded floors on top of it.

Moreover, while the façade of the old farmhouse is preserved, the application proposes interior modifications that would effectively transform it into an entrance hall for two maisonettes.

The application still includes the construction of 46 residential units, comprising 30 apartments, eight penthouses, and eight maisonettes over five storeys, along with three levels of underground parking.

Notably, 80% of the development would still take place on arable land surrounding the farmhouse.