Environmental groups have made a last appeal to save a nearly 150-year-old townhouse in the heart of Sliema, as the Planning Authority decides on plans to convert it into a six-storey apartment block.
The house in Cathedral Street, within the Sliema Urban Conservation Area, is part of a well-preserved row of houses commissioned by the Mdina Cathedral between 1870 and 1886 for clergymen from important families.
Earlier plans for the building to be demolished, retaining only the facade, were scrapped last year amid public pressure. But the current proposal still foresees four extra storeys and a six-storey development in place of its characteristic back garden.
The PA board is expected to decide on the case on Thursday.
A miserable attempt to ease heritage concerns
The Planning Directorate has recommended that the application be refused, citing the infringement of the permissible building height in village cores, the negative impact on the area’s character and the need to rehabilitate and restore buildings of heritage value.
The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has also objected to the development, arguing the townhouse deserves to be restored and retained “since it represents an era of architecture which is practically lost in Sliema”.
In a statement on Tuesday, Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar described the amended plans as a “miserable attempt to ease heritage concerns” and called for the house to be preserved.
“The stately townhouse and garden will be engulfed by a concrete block, morphed beyond recognition, with the retention of its fabric serving as nothing more than a token measure to justify this abusive attempt to develop this heritage property,” the group said.
“FAA urges the Planning Commission to take on the recommendations of the Superintendence and the Planning Directorate to not only ensure the protection of this property and those in its immediate vicinity, but also to ensure the true relevancy of the planning process and its consultants.”
Several residents, in addition to the Sliema local council, have written to the Planning Authority objecting to the proposed development. They argue that approving the application will irreversibly alter the streetscape and destroy the character of the surrounding townhouses.