The Planning Authority has approved controversial embellishment works at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta following a favourable assessment by international heritage experts.
An advisory mission from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) had been requested to give its verdict on an application to install a rooftop viewing platform and panoramic lifts in the historic Long Ward.
The proposal had drawn harsh criticism from the Valletta local council and heritage NGO Din L-Art Ħelwa, who said the works would damage the visual and historic fabric of the building and open the door for possible catering facilities or events, but raised no objections from the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage (SCH).
The Icomos report, published this week, concluded that the interventions would have a net positive effect on the iconic building, clearing the way for the PA to approve the development in a hearing today, with only NGO representative Anick Bonello voting against.
During the hearing, objectors – including DLH and Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar - reiterated concerns that the plans would negatively effect the unique roof typology of the MCC and the original fabric and use of the Long Ward.
Project architect William Lewis, however, insisted the interventions were reversible and would enhance the site by allowing visitors to use augmented reality to experience life at the MCC when it was used as a hospital by the Knights of St John.
The €10 million overhaul, which will be part-funded by the EU, will also open up previously unused parts of the building, while rooms will be built at roof level.
Other, less controversial parts, of the extensive proposals - the restoration of the Perellos Chapel and the conversion of a disused tank room into a multi-purpose hall for events and performances – had already been approved by the PA in January.
The more significant alterations decided today will create a raised viewing platform and glass railing on the roof of the MCC, as well as two “panoramic lifts” intended to ferry 32 passengers directly from the roof to the Long Ward.
The railing will be receded and should not be visible from street level, but it is still likely to affect a number of other key viewpoints, including the Great Siege Bell and surrounding buildings.
The Valletta local council has described the proposed alterations as “ill-conceived” and “disrespectful” and raised concerns over noise pollution and traffic generation. Din l-Art Ħelwa also objected last year, arguing that the proposals would irreversibly change the layout of the building.
“The triviality of making this permanent change to the historical interior of the hospital of the Knights, for the sake of taking up tourists to its roof, makes a mockery of the Sacra Infermeria,” the organisation said.