The Planning Authority has thrown out an application for the development of six townhouses at a 400-year-old garden in the heart of Lija.
The decision was taken following a storm of objections over plans to demolish the large garden on the corner of Triq Annibale Preca in Lija and Triq Sant’Antnin in Balzan.
The application would have seen the excavation of the 17th-century garden measuring around 920 square metres, including protected citrus trees and garden rubble walls, to create eight basement garages and six two-storey houses with swimming pools.
All of the proposed dwellings are four-bedroom units, having a gross floor area exceeding 200 square metres. Alterations to the existing townhouse, which includes baroque-period architectural features, were also mentioned in the application.
The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage vehemently opposed the project, saying that the site was an established garden forming part of a property “of evident architectural and historical value”. Moreover, it said, the property was located within the urban conservation area and was in the vicinity of San Anton Palace, which was a scheduled property.
The proposed development is both intensive and extensive
World War II shelters were also recorded in the vicinity of the proposed works, it added.
“The garden is clearly legible as part of the property on the 1903 survey sheet, which also indicates the presence of a well within the garden. The major intrusion on the garden at present is a swimming pool, which does not appear to be covered by a development permit,” the cultural watchdog said.
“The Superintendence notes that the proposed development is both intensive and extensive, with an undeniable and negative impact both on the property and on the streetscapes in two streets within the urban conservation area,” it added.
The Lija local council also objected to the destruction of the 400-year-old garden at the crossroads of the Three Villages.
The council’s was one of 150 objections submitted to the PA, many citing the loss of the historic garden, the increase in traffic and the intensification of development in an urban conservation area, which objectors say will also set a precedent.
The council said the project would entail the loss of protected old citrus and olive trees, palms, irrigation canals, flagstones, stone well-heads and other typical garden period features, apart from the possible existence of underground shelters.
In his report, the case officer said that the PA had communicated with the project’s applicant and architect who were informed about the issues that had been raised. Revised drawings and further information addressing the issues were requested but no further submissions were made.
The case officer recommended the refusal of the application on various fronts, primarily that the garden shared the cultural value of the existing townhouse and that the redevelopment of the existing garden was not in the interests of the character of the area and would have an “unacceptable visual impact”.