Carlo Stivala eyes 15-storey hotel at Sliema Ferries

Hotelier Carlo Stivala is proposing the development of a 15-storey hotel at the Sliema Ferries, which will tower above the surrounding buildings.

The proposed development will replace a three to four-storey-high corner building that abuts onto Triq San Vincenz.

Although most of the buildings overlooking the Ferries now reach a height of nine floors, Triq San Vicenz is still characterised by a row of old houses with a uniform height of three floors.

The proposed hotel will dwarf the buildings on this street. The building in question is already committed for a residential project of nine floors in a permit issued to Carlo’s brother, Michael Stivala, in 2018 following another permit granted to a previous owner in 2016.

The existing building hosts a Labour Party club which will be replaced by the new hotel.

The Labour Party has “always rented and still rents” the property, party CEO Randolph de Battista told MaltaToday.

The building is now fully owned by Carlo Stivala according to a declaration made in the planning application.

The Labour Party already has another larger club in Sliema located in Triq Gafar.

As proposed the new three-star hotel designed by architect Robert Musumeci, will retain most of the existing facade and will include 14 floors and a receded floor level.

The proposal also includes a restaurant at ground floor level, offices, meeting and conference rooms in the first four levels, hotel rooms at levels 5 to14 and a bar and pool area on the receded floor level.

Residents had strongly objected to the first application presented by Adrian Deguara in 2015 to demolish the existing third floor level and construct five new floors and a penthouse.

Objections mainly concerned the impact of the higher building on Triq San Vincenz.

The case officer had at the time also recommended refusal as the proposed development did not comply with sanitary regulations which did not permit an eight-storey building in the narrow width of St Vincent Street.

The PA’s internal heritage panel had also warned that the proposed height of eight floors on the side street would have a negative impact on the streetscape and the characteristic buildings situated there.

Nonetheless, the development was approved by the Planning Commission and an appeal against approval was thrown out by the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal.

In 2018 the PA approved another application submitted by new owner Michael Stivala to change the receded floor into a full floor.

The site is located on a corner and a small part of it is located within the Urban Conservation Area and the Sliema primary town centre.

In 2021 Carlo Stivala had pro- posed a 14-storey hotel instead of Palazzina Vincenti, a modernist building in St Julians which was included in the list of protected buildings last month.

The scheduling of the building means that Stivala will not be allowed to demolish the building and would have to radically change his plans.