[WATCH] Planning Authority urged to refuse demolition of 1860s Sliema house

A 150-year-old building in Sliema risks being demolished and replaced by an eight-floor hotel, with the Planning Authority set to make a decision tomorrow, amidst opposition by the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage and more than 40 other objectors.

Residents, the local council, NGOs and other organisations objected to the application filed in 2016 for the building of a 3-star hotel instead of a two-floor house, built in 1861, in St Mary Street.

Architect Tara Cassar, on behalf of Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, called on the PA to heed the experts’ advice and refuse the permit application.

“In many cases, the advice of experts like the superintendence is sought but – very often – it is ignored when it comes to decision-making,” she said.

Cassar confirmed that the applicant intended to demolish the house and build an eight-floor hotel, two floors higher than the buildings in the vicinity.

Such development is possible in the area because the lower part of St Mary Street, where the house is situated, stands outside the Urban Conservation Areas.

“It is true the PA could approve the application if it sticks strictly to policies, but it should also listen to experts and residents who are against the proposed the development,” Cassar said. “The PA is not there only to serve the interests of developers, but to guide sustainable development.”

Edward Said, representative of the Sliema Heritage Society, said 2016 had seen the demolition of many buildings in the town that were of national architectural and cultural heritage.

“2017 promises to be equally bad, with this application only being the first of many more to come,” he said. “We are noticing gross inconsistencies in the decision-making, and we urge the PA to adhere to the DC2015 and the SPED (Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development) policies.”

Said appealed directly to PA chairman Vince Cassar and his belief, as stated in a June 2016 interview, that the country was “losing architecture that makes us Maltese”.

It was unclear whether the two organisations would appeal the decision, if the PA votes in favour of the development on Wednesday.

“We would need to consult all the other groups opposing this application,” Said noted. “We would also need to consider the expenses involved in appealing and setting out priorities.”