Tuesday, 16th March 2010 - 12:57CET

€5m care home project nears completion

Nazzareno Vassallo, Chairman Vassallo Builders Group Ltd and Care Malta Ltd, surrounded by board members, management and workers involved in the building project of Roseville residence for the elderly in Attard, celebrating the termination of the construction phase of Care Malta’s 7th facility.

Roseville, a new €5 million home for the elderly in Attard, is nearing completion and will be inaugurated in June.

Roseville is owned by Care Malta Group, Malta's largest and leading private care provider. The group already operates six other similar facilities across Malta.

The group this morning celebrated the termination of the construction and the project has now moved to its final stage of finishing and completion.

Group chairman Nazzareno Vassallo said that Roseville was a very ambitious project: “Roseville is an early 20th century house and one of Malta’s few Art Nouveau country villas. This unique architectural gem with its floral sculpted window-surrounds and painted motifs recalls the Art Nouveau houses of Brussels, Antwerp and Central Europe. The project includes major restoration work on the villa as well as the development of an extension to house the facilities for the elderly.”

Roseville is located in St Anthony Street, opposite Villa Apap Bologna and has gardens adjacent to San Anton Palace. It is a scheduled building and Care Malta has invested significant resources and finances in its restoration.

The interior of the house is also notable for its Egyptian-inspired decoration, with motifs based on the Egyptology style that was fashionable at the time. The house was built in two phases; the ground floor was built in 1912 by architect Alessandro Manara and the first floor was added in 1921 by architect Emanuele Borg in the same architectural grammar of the ground floor.

Mr Vassallo explained that Care Malta was investing €5 million in the project and it was expected that it will create up to 100 new jobs, between full-time and part-time positions.

“We believe that there is a very good niche in the market for a quality home for the elderly in the area."

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Monday, September 6, 2010. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

Alfred Camilleri(on 16/3/10)

I am not against the preservation of buildings of architectural or historic value. Far from it. I am only against the discrimination suffered by owners of scheduled buildings who, contrary to other owners whose buildings are not listed, cannot enjoy the fruit of their patrimony. I feel, as I'm sure many others do, that the State should buy such properties, restore and conserve them for the people and posterity to enjoy.

Just in case anybody is wondering, no, I have no idea who the owners of this particular house are and no, I am not the owner of any scheduled building anywhere on the Maltese Islands.

Caroline Bugeja(on 16/3/10)

I certainly have no objection to the fact that many homes for the elderly are being open across the isand. What about homes for the disabled? What are the many disabled people on the island supposed to do when those taking care of them are not available anymore? To my knowledge there is only one home/s those at Siggiewi. Can't the govt open up homes that care for this section of the society as well. Maybe even aginst payment of course. Nothing should be a burden on the taxpayer. In as much as anything is done to have these people living at their homes, there comes a time when this is no longer possible. Having respite of a week is no long term solution. Burdening siblings is unfair, so what are parents meant to do? We speak of an inclkusive society, but one cannot hide facts beneath carpets. Respecting the disabled is one thing, but not acknowledging that they are a burden is way too far. By the way I am a mother of a disabled child, so I know first hand what I am talking about.

C Bonnici(on 16/3/10)

Just for the record, it HAD gardens gardens adjacent to San Anton - they have been built up! May I also mention that someyeas ago the present owners wanted the "unique cultural gem" to be pulled down.