The Planning Authority has given full permission for a historic home in Sliema, The Cloisters, to be converted into a boutique hotel, adding an extra storey and replacing its garden with a seven-storey development.
Plans approved by the PA board on Thursday will convert the Grade 2 scheduled building in Mrabat Street into a 29-bedroom hotel, with a stepped block of 27 apartments and maisonettes overshadowing it at its rear.
Read: Conversion of iconic Sliema palazzo into boutique hotel approved
A chairman Vince Cassar, ERA chairman Victor Axiak and NGO representative Annick Bonello voted against the project, citing concerns over its design and issues of overdevelopment.
An outline permit had already been approved last March despite strong opposition from the Sliema local council and heritage groups, one of which described the project as a “mutilation”.
The full application decided on Thursday had been recommended for approval by the Planning Directorate, while the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage raised no objections.
The heritage watchdog, which visited the site and met the architect to discuss details of the project, noted that the Cloisters building had architectural and historic value and lay close to several other scheduled properties.
It also noted that the project would involve the restoration of the historic building and the demolition of non-scheduled parts of the property.
Alterations on scheduled buildings can only be carried out if they are sensitive and do not detract from the character or architectural homogeneity of the site.
Read: ‘Barbaric’ threat posed to Sliema’s unique heritage
The Sliema Heritage Society, which objected to the development, said approval would set a precedent that could dangerously compromise the protection of hundreds of other similarly listed properties.
Similar concerns were raised by Din L-Art Ħelwa, which called for the preservation of all scheduled buildings together with their gardens, as well as a height limitation buffer zone around such sites.
Read: How is your Planning Authority voting?
“The use of such a building could never have been sustained without a garden, hence the preservation of the garden gives value to the cloisters themselves,” the NGO said, adding that the proposed extensions would “dwarf” the existing building.
Meanwhile, Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar said the proposal stood in stark contrast with the context of the site, and would wipe out the façades on the neighbouring Triq is-Sorrijiet and Triq Bonavita, which have Category B+ protection status.