Mtarfa residents are objecting to the planned redevelopment of the former isolation hospital into a state-of-the-art old people’s home.
The proposal was made by Malta Healthcare Caterers, a subsidiary of the Seabank Group, which plans to revive the abandoned hospital built by the British forces.
Plans by architect Robert Sarsero, a member of the Mepa appeals board, were submitted after the company’s proposal was chosen by the government following a call for expressions of interest for the use of the historic building.
Many residents, particularly those living in the vicinity of the former hospital, are vehemently opposing the development calling upon the local council to officially object to the project.
The 24-hour elderly care home will also mean much more traffic and continuous noise that will disturb our normally quiet town
According to a petition signed by over 200 residents to the council the planned development “is not compatible with the characteristics of a residential area” and would cause “major inconveniences” to them.
“The proposed development is much larger than the original footprint of the current isolation hospital, and it will ruin the area,” one of the residents told the Times of Malta.
“The 24-hour elderly care home operation will also mean much more traffic and continuous noise that will disturb our normally quiet town,” another complained.
In a letter to the local council, the residents also objected to the project on planning grounds, arguing that, since the building was scheduled, only minor interventions were permitted, rather than a full-blown development, as was being proposed.
The residents also claimed that since the building was on a ridge, the proposed development would have a “disturbing” visual impact on the locality.
According to the plans submitted to Mepa, the development will include two storeys below the existing building and an extension over an area currently covered by trees.
The developer’s intention is to construct a 148-bed old people’s home, including a new car park for 57 cars.
An additional storey is expected to be built accordingly.
The isolation hospital was built in 1924 as part of the Mtarfa Military Hospital and barracks. In 1999, vandals torched the rear wing of the hospital. The site has been left in a derelict state since.