A leading heritage expert has made a last appeal to the Planning Authority to save a historic townhouse, which is earmarked to become a guesthouse, in one of the most architecturally important parts of Sliema.
Developers have applied to demolish parts of the characteristic building in Ġorġ Borg Olivier Street, adjacent to Capua Palace, and add three new floors, while retaining the facade. The application is recommended for approval and the permit is expected to be granted on Wednesday.
Architect Edward Said, secretary of the Sliema Heritage Association, told the Times of Malta that the application should be refused outright and the house nominated for scheduling.
“This house is what we’d call Victorian neoclassical or Victorian baroque, and located in a well-preserved part of the street,” he said
“While there is an apartment block a few doors down, this should not by any means justify all the buildings in the row being condemned to the same fate.
Count Mattei built the Victorian neoclassical house, the Capua Palace and most houses on the street. Photos: Matthew Mirabelli
“Our research points to the house having been built by Count Mattei, who built Capua Palace and most of the houses in the street, and designed by the acclaimed architect Francesco Zammit, who was engaged to design some of Sliema’s most important buildings.”
The townhouse is also directly opposite the former residence of George Borg Olivier, the former prime minister, which is a scheduled building also designed by Francesco Zammit.
Moreover, according to Mr Said, the entirety of the street, formerly Victoria Avenue, should be considered one of the most iconic in Sliema and as worthy of preservation as the main street of any other town or village. “There are a number of fine double- and single-fronted townhouses all along the street,” he said. “For people who have lived in Sliema for a long time, these streets, full of important stately homes, are an important part of our identity, and degenerative proposals such as this will only continue to destroy what little we have left.”
The Sliema local council has also formally objected to the proposal, citing serious concerns about the design of the new development and the impact on the streetscape.
Local councillor Paul Radmilli told this newspaper it was particularly disappointing that the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) had provided no reply on the project.
“It is scandalous that the environmental entity responsible for screening of construction and development does not comment in any way on a five-storey hotel in the middle of a residential zone with the adjacent townhouses still in pristine condition,” he said.
Mr Radmilli added that the Superintendent for Cultural Heritage had simply provided an unsigned two-line note, failing to enter into the merits of the architectural heritage of the house and street in question.
The note read: “In addition to considerations by the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee, the Superintendence does not object to this application.”
“Without proper planning, Sliema will end up like Venice, with no local residents,” Mr Radmilli said. “Contrary to Venice, where palazzi are protected, in this latest wave of transforming Sliema into an entertainment, tourism and office-space zone with the blessing of the PA, the destruction of the architectural heritage seems to have no end in sight”.