Developers eye more development in St Julian’s

The quaint residential area in the vicinity of the Sacred Heart convent in St Julian’s is attracting a particular interest from developers who are looking to develop internal gardens and raise building heights.

An application has been presented proposing the demolition of the two-storey Casa Pinto guesthouse in Sacred Heart Street, and its replacement with a six-storey block with penthouse.

The development, proposed by Alan Bonnici of AXT Properties, encroaches on the gardens of the former guest house and will be accessed from Birkirkara road.

The proposal retains the existing façade of the guest house and foresees the construction of apartments over six floors and a penthouse which will be visible from Birkirkara Road.

The modern part of the building will include white aluminum glazed apertures and steel columns with steel mesh screening. The development will involve the felling of trees and the removal of rubble walls. 

The Bilom Group has recently applied to restore and convert the scheduled building The Cloisters on Triq Birkirkara, into a boutique hotel and restaurant. 

The building presently enjoys grade 2 protection, which precludes demolition.

Six-storey block instead of 2-storey building in Triq is-Sorijiet hill

The project would see the addition of an extra storey to the front of the townhouse and build a six-storey apartment block at the back of the house. Plans foresee apartment blocks encroaching on the gardens behind the protected building. The terraced development, which reaches up to six storeys, will front Triq Bonaventura and Triq is-Sorijiet, near the Convent of the Sacred Heart.

Further uphill on Triq is-Sorijiet in the vicinity of the back garden of The Cloisters, another project has been proposed by Core Properties Limited, envisioning the complete demolition and re-construction of an existing two-storey building over 382 square metres and its substitution with a five-storey block with a receded sixth floor.