Superintendence strongly objects to BOV’s Attard application

Bank of Valletta’s proposal to demolish its one-storey Attard branch and replace it with a five-storey residential complex is “objectionable in principle” the heritage watchdog says.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage described the proposed design of the new building as completely incompatible with buildings in the Urban Conservation Area.

“The proposed replacement building would be totally out of context within the existing urban environment,” the SCH said in its assessment of the application.

It also warned that a five-storey building in this area would result in “massive unsightly blank party walls” overlooking the historical gardens of the nearby Casa de Piro.

Moreover, the cultural heritage watchdog has warned that proposed excavations in the area to make way for a basement parking would pose a very high level of threat within an archaeologically sensitive area.

The plans will see 10 residential units built on top of a new bank branch and a basement parking area.

The SCH wants any development in the area to be limited to two full floors in line with the predominant height of the nearby properties.

More than 100 residents have objected to the application. The Attard local council has also warned that if approved the development would detract from the charm and character of Attard’s village core which it claims has “immense cultural, historical and aesthetic value.”

BOV has justified the development as a way of maximising use of its assets by selling its property to unspecified third parties.

“The bank is always looking for ways of maximising the use of its assets. One way of doing so is through the sale of property, which in this case included one of the bank’s branches. The branch will be retained by the bank and refurbished to provide enhanced services to the community in a more modern environment,” a spokesperson for the Bank had told the Times of Malta last month.

The BOV spokesperson had also made it clear that it has no intention of entering the property sector and is legally precluded from doing so by its banking licence.