Permit decision ‘outrageous and dangerous’

The unsightly additional floors built on judges’ new chambers in Valletta’s Old Bakery Street have been slammed by the Chamber of Architects’ president.

He said it could compromise the city’s Unesco heritage status.

Describing it as an “eyesore”, chamber president Vince Cassar said the permit to raise the old building to eight floors should not have been granted.

“Valletta has its own particular skyline which has already been ruined by other projects. However, the other developments do not jar as much as the one in Bakery Street,” he said.

Commissioned by the government, the €1.8 million project involves joining two adjacent houses in Strait Street and raising it to eight floors to house the judiciary’s chambers as well as a drugs court.

However, the extra floors added on top of the building, built with new limestone and cement blocks, stand out prominently in the area’s skyline and prompted a barrage of criticism on social networking sites – especially from Maltese architects.

Photos of the structure have gone viral on Facebook with architect Chris Briffa highlighting it as an example of “bad design” as he sarcastically complimented the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for managing “your typically strict ‘save our skyline’ strategy, and to whomever commissioned this new monster”.

Mr Cassar underlined the need for care with construction in Valletta.

“If we continue as it is, Valletta could lose its Unesco heritage status,” he said, pointing out the capital’s plans as the European Cultural Capital in 2018. Architect Conrad Thake described the decision to grant the permit as “dangerous” and “outrageous”, especially because of Valletta’s protected heritage status.

Dr Thake said that judges’ chambers should have been built elsewhere and not in a historic building as the environment was not conducive because of issues of space.

The project had been recommended for refusal by the planning directorate since the government applied in 2001.

However, a Development Control Commission overturned the recommendation and granted the permit after asking the developer to remove a bridge linking the new chambers with the law courts.

Although Valletta is a Unesco World Heritage Site, there are no planning policies setting a height limitation for buildings in the city.