Julia Farrugia Portelli objects to Rabat hotel development

Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms, Julia Farrugia Portelli, said on Facebook that she signed an online petition presented by Moviment Graffitti.

The petition objects to the development of an Urban Conservation Area, specifically, the early 20th Century town houses on Saqqajja Hill in Rabat, into a hotel.

"I have just joined thousands of Maltese petitioners. As a citizen and resident of Rabat, I do not endorse this massive development in an Urban Conservation Area in Saqqajja. These are unique buildings and the proposed development will ruin the little character that remains in our country," Farrugia said on Facebook.

Moviment Graffitti have said that the Local Plan considers the area an archeologically sensitive one.

The development proposes the construction of two additional stories on the historical buildings, alteration of the parapet, a five-storey development in the garden, a bar, a swimming pool and a restaurant.

The townhouses on Saqqajja Hill that are the subject of the proposed development in Rabat

Moviment said of the project that "the proposed development destroys the texture and proportions of the existent houses in the area with prejudice towards the environment and the character of a unique site, a site that should be protected and conserved."

Graffitti have claimed that the applicant failed to present the adequate documentation that shows the impact of the proposed buildings on the garden and on the neighbouring houses.

The online petition, signed by Portelli and approximately two thousand others, sends a direct pre-written email to the Planning Authority.