'Baroque house' hearing

Following a report carried in The Times (February 21), a transcript of the proceedings of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority hearing held to review the permit to demolish the house at 1, Ghar il-Lembi Street, Sliema has revealed that the facts of the case are substantially different to the version given by the Mepa spokesman.

As reported, the hearing at Mepa did relate how Mepa's Heritage Advisory Committee had approved the demolition of the old house in question, but said this was "before they were aware that this house formed part of the streetscape of the area". What the Mepa spokesman did not even mention was that a subsequent, more thorough examination by the Integrated Heritage Management corroborated what I have been saying all along, that: "The building seems to have formed part of an old settlement in this part of Sliema, originally a simple and unassuming dwelling featuring traditional methods of construction...possibly subject to additional accretions and embellishments. There is a presumption against changes to the façade. This part of High Street is a Category A Street of high streetscape value. This building lies within the Sliema Urban Conservation Area. From the conservation point of view, the IHM agrees with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage that this building should be preserved."

Following that report, a July 5 letter from the Superintendence was read out, also confirming that the house should be protected. The DCC board also referred to the advice from Mepa's legal office to check the accuracy of the information supplied by both parties and the recommendation of the executive board that the DCC had to change its decision if the information supplied materially changed what had been supplied.

In fact, proof that the developers' original information was misleading had been supplied: the claim by Conrad Thake, the developers' consultant, that the building dated from 1880-1920 was disproved by technical data and even maps which we supplied from the Ganado collection showing a house on the site already in 1728. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the developers' plans did not indicate a neighbour's large arched well underlying the house, where the developers indicated garages.

The outline permit which Mepa had issued imposed a step-back above the second floor as one of its conditions, but this was not shown on the plans in the Mepa file. Finally, a four-storey building in an alley barely 3.5 metres wide goes contrary to basic parameters established by building regulations. All these inaccuracies in the information submitted by the developer were known to the board, as they had been submitted by the objectors, but the DCC did not mention them at any point.

Instead, ignoring the verdict of its own Heritage Board and that of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the DCC voted by four votes to two to demolish part of Sliema's oldest building dating back to the early 18th century.

This is a scandalous decision by any standards, but to follow it up with a farcical version of the events regrettably shows how low Mepa has come to stoop.

This building forms part of an unbroken line of old houses within an Urban Conservation area and thanks to its age and unique balcony, meets the historic, architectural and scenic standards of Grade 2 scheduling. As such this was a watertight case for preservation. The importance of this house goes far beyond its four walls. If this house goes down, then no old house in Malta short of the Auberges is safe from demolition. If Mepa caves in to the developers and this house is demolished, then Mepa will have confirmed its place as one of the strongest agents of destruction of our heritage since World War II.