Sliema residents were yesterday told the planning authority’s case officer had recommended the refusal of an application to demolish Villa Degiorgio in Sliema and convert it into a block of 10 apartments.

However, a decision on the fate of this townhouse – located opposite the busy junction known as Tlett Siġriet (the three trees) at the top of Dingli Street – has been put off to another sitting.

Though this may be welcome news, the residents were angered when it yesterday emerged during a meeting at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority that Transport Malta was not objecting to the demolition in a busy traffic junction.

In their formal objection, residents had argued that this apartment block would cause further disruption in an area characterised by frequent traffic jams.

Transport Malta, in a report read during a hearing of the Environment Planning Committee, said the planned construction of a 13-car garage would actually cause fewer traffic problems on the street than the current two-car garage because it would have a bigger turning circle.

It also argued that each apartment would generate only an average of 1.6 entrances and exits a day for a total of 13 trips for the whole block. One of the residents present at the meeting retorted that his family of four generated 16 entrances and exits, let alone a whole block of flats.

Transport Malta also said the proposed project would have the same impact as any other block in built-up areas such as Sliema, and it therefore had no objections.

An architect representing residents asked how Transport Malta could pronounce itself without having carried out technical studies.

The developers insisted on the right to build since the local plan provided for four-storey development in this area.

The residents insisted the local plan was flawed because of a lack of public consultation.

The case officer said that in cases of development in urban conservation areas, such as this, the directorate could use more discretion with regard to planned projects, including building heights and traffic generation, and he was therefore recommending a permit refusal.

The proposed development, which would retain the villa’s façade, has long been contested by Sliema residents. Besides the traffic factor, in previous hearings they have argued that the apartment block would change the character of the area and would deny Sliema yet another green lung with the destruction of the villa’s garden.