The Director-General of the law courts is to apply to Mepa to demolish a substantial part of the two storeys added to a building in Strait Street, which will be used by the courts.

The visual impact of the extra storeys had raised strong protests from environment NGOs and other parties.

The Ministry of Justice said that Justice Minister Chris Said had had a meeting with the Director-General and with Mepa officials  in order to discuss solutions which would respect Valletta's skyline ad the protection of the historical heritage.

It was decided that a substantial part of the extension would be demolished to bring the building in line with adjacent structures in Strait Street and eliminate the negative visual impact.

The ministry published photo-montages to show how the building will look after the demolition is completed.

Dr Said said that the costs of the changes to the upper structures would be minimal because the tower crane is still on the site and will remain there until the changes are approved.

The application to Mepa is not expected to take long (because it is considered to be a minor amendment) and the permit should be in hand in a matter of weeks. The deadline for completion of works is still expected to be the end of the year.