Controversial extra storeys added to judges’ chambers in Valletta will be demolished this week.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority last week approved the new plans which will see parts of the fifth, sixth and seventh floors being demolished and recessed, so that they will not be visible from Old Bakery Street.

The new plans mean the building will lose some rooms, including the boardroom. The offices will be housed in residences between Strait Street and Old Bakery Street, which have been linked.

The €1.8 million government project was slammed as an eyesore by the Chamber of Architects and environmental organisations after three floors – built with limestone and cement blocks – towered over the adjacent buildings in the so-far unblemished capital city. Photos of the extension were circulated on social media websites, prompting controversy.

A spokesman for the Justice Ministry confirmed that after receiving the green light from Mepa, work on the demolition and recessing of the topmost floors will start this week.

Estimates on the cost of the amended project were still being worked out, he said.

Justice Minister Chris Said reacted quickly to the controversy, saying he was conscious of the sensitivity of Valletta and its history and wanted to find a solution to ensure the building respects the skyline.

The building, which houses the Family Court, will become fully-fledged chambers for members of the judiciary who currently do not have fixed offices in the Law Courts across the road.

Having been in the pipeline for several years, the project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The original application to build new chambers was turned down by the Development Control Commission some nine years ago. Two months later, the developer filed for reconsideration.

The planning directorate once again processed the request and concluded that the “application should be refused for the same reasons it gave in the original decision”.

When the case reappeared before the Development Control Commission in February 2007, it asked the architect to submit fresh plans – eliminating the bridge. One month later, the new plans, without the bridge, were submitted and approved by the sanitary authorities.

The permit was approved by the commission in June 2007, overturning the directorate’s recommendation. Work began in March last year.