Msida square to get 10-storey hotel despite case officer’s objection

A 10-storey hotel will go up in Msida’s busy main square after the Planning Authority gave the green light for the 107-room facility.

The hotel will take the place of two townhouses situated a few metres up from the Avis building, opposite the Workers’ Memorial monument.

While the original plans foresaw the complete demolition of the old buildings, the latest plans envisage the preservation of one of the façades.

The hotel was proposed by J&J Holdings, a company owned by Josef Dimech and Jonathan Pace. It will include parking at basement level, a bar and lobby at ground level, a breakfast area and kitchen on the first floor, and 107 rooms constructed on the overlying eight floors.

A restaurant and a pool are envisaged on the tenth floor.

The approved hotel in Msida as seen from Rue d'Argens

The Planning Authority’s planning directorate, which assesses projects on the basis of planning policies, had objected to the proposal because the development of hotels in this area of Msida was not foreseen in the local plan. The case officer who had objected to the development noted that this “extensively exceeded the allowable heights” of four floors, foreseen in the local plan.

When viewed on Triq ix-Xatt tal-Imsida and Triq Clarence, the proposed overall height of the development will reach a maximum of 33m and 32m.

But the PA’s planning commission, chaired by architect Simon Saliba, concluded that the hotel use was compatible with the site context, while the height on Triq ix-Xatt was equivalent to the seven-storey height limitation when converted in metres.

The case officer continued to object even after the board indicated its intention to approve the project, describing the “non-adherence with the maximum building height limitation” as a “major concern”.

Both the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) and the PA’s own design advisory committee (DAC) had warned that the proposed increase in height would negatively impact the surroundings from numerous point of views.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage also objected to the demolition of the two 19th century townhouses. The latest plans envisage the preservation of one of the façades.

In its decision, the planning commission ordered the developers to prepare a work method statement and pay a bank guarantee of €10,000. But it also ruled that “further consultation with SCH and DCA is not required”, as suggested by the case officer.

The façade of the building on the left also included two niches at the level of the opramorta, housing statues of St Roque and St Publius, which were removed from the site in unauthorised works denounced by the Superintendence last year.

The Superintendence had expressed “grave concerns” on the unauthorised works.