Proposal to demolish Balzan villa raises residents' hackles

Over 200 Balzan residents are up in arms against a proposal to demolish Villa Macedonia in Sisner Street to make way for "10 semi-detached villas".

The imposing villa and garden stand on spacious grounds, with a main entrance in Sisner Street, in the old core of the village, a stone's throw away from the parish church and the Good Shepherd chapel and convent.

The villa used to be the residence of Count Bernardo Manduca and had stables as well as premises for housekeepers. It served as the official residence of the Spanish Ambassador until the late 1990s, when the embassy was closed down.

One of the residents, Victoria Galea, noticed that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority had affixed a notice to the wall of the villa on Friday, just two days before the expiry of the date for submission of comments about the application. She managed to collect over 200 signatures for a petition against the demolition of the villa in barely five hours.

The petition has been sent to MEPA and a copy will also be sent to the local council.

According to an inscription in stone above the gate of Villa Macedonia, the villa was built in 1934 and a niche in one of the corners bears an inscription that in August of that year, Bishop Mauro Caruana had granted indulgences to whoever recited prayers to the Madonna tal-Abbandunati.

The residents feel that the villa should be scheduled and protected for its architectural value. They argue that a villa lying just across the road, where the Apostolic Nuncio used to live, had been scheduled by MEPA and the owners were not even allowed to make alterations to have a garage. MEPA should schedule Villa Macedonia without further delay, they said.