The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) has issued its policy on the Selmun Palace Hotel for public consultation.
The hotel has been closed for several years and the government and Air Malta have so far been unable to sell it.
The most important elements of this policy are the requirement that the site remains for tourism use, it is planned and developed comprehensively and the development density shall be strictly limited to the areas and volumes established in this policy.
The policy favourably considers the rehabilitation of the existing hotel buildings and/or their redevelopment so long as the layout shall broadly retain the position and orientation of the existing hotel building. The relocation and consolidation of the outbuildings may be considered provided they are not worthy of protection and do not adversely affect the setting of the scheduled Grade I Palace.
The construction of a new wing will only be considered favourably if it is located within the area indicated within the policy.
A complete redesign of the existing layout will only be considered in the exceptional circumstances where the end product is of such high quality that it merits consideration outside the provisions of this criterion.
While any development proposal may never exceed the overall height of the existing main hotel building, the policy says that the monolithic appearance of the existing building may be broken by the creative use of architectural elements, different colour schemes and materials.
Through this proposed policy, Mepa is also obliging any potential investors to restore and rehabilitate the Grade 1 scheduled palace and make a one-time, lump sum, monetary contribution, to a fund administered by the Authority aimed at the enhancement of public access and enjoyment of the countryside and for the purpose of other community projects in the locality.