The revised plans for St Rita Project in Paceville, recently submitted to the Planning Authority were not materially different from the original ones, the Church’s Environment Commission (KA) said.

The only different thing was that the height of the building was slightly lower than originally proposed, it said.

The Commission on Friday published an opinion on the application for the development of a 12-storey four-star accommodation building and office complex, with a language school and offices at basement level and a further five basement levels and 246 underground parking spaces

The opinion had been requested by Archbishop Charles Scicluna after the Augustinian Community decided to lease out land to developers in Paceville, saying the revenue would mean the community may continue to invest in its religious, social and educational mission.

The land in question comprises a convent, a chapel, and a piece of derelict land.

In its decision, the commission concluded that the proposed plans should be revisited.

The development, it said, was contrary to the floor area ratio policy, the site was not amenable to the development of a tall building, a 12-storey façade overlooking Upper Triq Santu Wistin was excessive and badly impinged on nearby residents and users of the street, and the proposed 12-storey building was excessively close to the priory which was a scheduled Grade 2 building.

The KA said that if any development on the St Rita Priory site was to be carried out, then it should take place within a public consultation exercise that determined the optimal use of such site not exclusively in terms of future revenue streams for the owners, but in terms of the future benefits that could accrue to the Paceville/Swieqi communities and visitors to the area.

The development of this and similar sites in the St Julian's/Swieqi/Pembroke areas highlighted the need for a total review of the local plan that incorporated these areas.

Last public consultation for local plan was in 2000

The last public consultation for the local plan of this region, it said, was carried out in the year 2000. Too many changes had taken place since then which required a review of the plan. 

The KA noted that after presenting its case to the landowners and explaining its opinion that the project should be revisited, revised plans were recently submitted to the Planning Authority.

However, in the KA’s opinion, these were not materially different from the original ones. The main difference was that the height of the building was slightly lower than originally proposed.

The KA said it was of the opinion that the process which led to the submission of this project’s plans should have centred more on the needs of the community than focusing purely on the financial returns that an ordinary Maltese developer would have sought.

Consultation should have taken place at the initial stages of the concept and design of a project, and not at the end of it when plans were submitted to the Planning Authority and the public consultation was a legal obligation which was largely ineffective.

The KA believed the project was one that fit in the ‘more-of-the-same’ category of projects.

"The concept and design as well as its future use should have been one that was a beacon of hope in Maltese society which was fast idolising the property market without any other consideration and where the planning system was being eroded by the authorities to facilitate unsustainable development practices."

The KA's report can be read in the pdf link below.