Updated at 11am with PA's refusal

The Planning Authority this morning heeded residents' pleas and voted against the transformation of a 155-year old townhouse in Sliema to an eight-storey hotel.

Ahead of today's hearing, Sliema residents living next door to the proposed hotel have appealed to the Planning Authority not to rob their homes of natural light and peace and quiet.

But the townhouse owner insisted he was just a victim of the same problems, and was simply trying to sell the “black hole” and buy a new house somewhere “decent”.

The house in St Mary’s Street is part of a well-preserved row of historic houses marred only by one newer development.

The case was recommended for approval but the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage (SCH) said the house, built in 1861, had historical value and should be retained. Some 40 separate objections were filed, including by the Sliema council and environmental organisations.

Neighbouring residents spoke to the media yesterday alongside Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar representatives, appealing to the PA to heed their concerns and block the application.

“There’s already one monstrosity here, and now another one is coming,” resident Joseph Camilleri said. “Already we can’t even dry our clothes because of the lack of sunlight; this hotel will take away the last bit of natural light we have left.”

“The new hotel will take away the last bit of natural light.” Photo: Matthew Mirabelli“The new hotel will take away the last bit of natural light.” Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Mr Camilleri added that the new hotel, part of which will be built directly above his home, would increase the already “nightmarish” parking problems and add to the noise and disturbance in the narrow road adjacent to the Prince of Wales residence.

“I’m a 73-year-old woman,” said his wife, Maureen Camilleri.

“I can’t cope with eight floors being built right on top of me.

“We’ve lived here for 37 years, but I’d have to leave.”

But Marco Muscat, the current owner of the house in question, told the Times of Malta that while he sympathised with his neighbours’ concerns, he himself was being forced out of Sliema, the place where he has lived for 20 years, by the same problems of parking, light, and noise brought about by the overdevelopment around his home.

“They shouldn’t have the right to stop me selling this black hole and going to live somewhere decent,” he said.

“These problems aren’t my fault; they started 15 to 20 years ago.”

 

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