A traditional double-fronted townhouse in Dingli Street, Sliema, is being threatened with demolition to make way for a new five-storey apartment block.

This follows a similar application submitted just a few weeks earlier in nearby Ġorg Borġ Olivier Street, which would convert another townhouse into a multi-storey guesthouse.

The development application.

Architectural experts told the Times of Malta the Dingli Street property, located in an urban conservation area and part of a well-preserved row of houses designed by one architect, was an example of an endangered architectural style and worthy of scheduling.

The application, which is currently being assessed by the Planning Authority (PA), would retain the facade but add additional storeys, two penthouses and an underlying garage.

The building’s interior, which features a formal staircase and a small chapel, would be irreversibly altered by the proposed development.

Adverts for the apartments have already been posted online by real estate agencies.

Meanwhile, the application in Ġorg Borġ Olivier Street seeks to add three additional floors to convert the building into a guesthouse. The facade would also be retained if the application were approved.

Residents have objected to the new development, however, on the basis that it will disturb the character of the street and increase traffic and parking problems on an already congested road.

A proposal for a block of flats submitted by the owner of an adjacent ‘twin’ building was rejected by the Planning Authority some years ago.

The Sliema Heritage Society said in comments to this newspaper that the architectural variety of the town, which is home to a number of styles practically unique to Malta, was under threat from a raft of new applications.

Last April, the PA approved the demolition of three historic townhouses in Tigné for the construction of an apartment block. The authority concluded that, as the houses had no degree of formal protection, there were no grounds to oppose the development.

The Sliema Local Council has filed an appeal against the decision, calling for the building facades, which they said possessed a clear architectural heritage value, to be retained in the new design.

Another application submitted recently is for the construction of an additional storey atop the facade of a townhouse in Balluta Bay, adjacent to the Barracuda restaurant, part of a five-storey development staggered down towards the sea.

Heritage NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa has expressed concern about the height of the building, due to the site’s sensitive location at the water’s edge, and called on the PA to ensure the height of the building matches the highest existing building along that stretch.

The organisation has said the demolition of the building should be referred to the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage. In the wake of recent PA decisions, NGOs have said this review should be automatic whenever an application for development raised questions of cultural heritage.