I would like to reply to a letter entitled “The Mattia Preti Hotel – an outright insult” in which a certain Simon Debono states that he is appearing for and on behalf of the residents of St Paul’s Buildings and the alley behind this projected ‘hotel’, which out of the blue someone has dreamt up as being the historical residence of Mattia Preti (TMIS, 27 March)!

1. Mr Debono, may I kindly suggest that before you appear on behalf of anyone, I suggest you get your facts right. Facts and assumptions are being bandied about left, right and centre and you’ve all got your suppositions wrong.

2. To start with, the current structure is not an illegal building. On behalf of the owners, and I am one of them, I can confirm to all that a valid permit existed for this building. The yard, which was attached to the main house, together with our privately owned property fronting the yard on Marsamxetto Road (previously a coffee shop run by a nice old man called Badidu), could be covered and, in conjunction with the house that was being run as a guest house, we had a permit to build up to four floors to expand the business. The fact is that it was left unfinished because the residents at the back of the building, i.e. the alley, and some of St Paul’s Buildings, rightly complained that air, light and the beautiful view would have been to be lost to them.

3. The minister at the time was Lorry Sant, who immediately stopped construction and withdrew the permit for the four floors, but leaving the building as it stood.

4. The Valletta local council has now applied to build this ‘boutique hotel’ while confirming even to reporters, that the whole property ‘belongs to the government’.  Everybody who ever had an interest in that property knows that the Lands Department has always issued calls for tender that clearly show that the front of half the property belongs to third parties. The architect himself, who has applied for this latest permit for the Valletta council, was involved on behalf of one of the bidders.

5. Just in case the file disappears again, as it has done on each occasion we asked to see it, please know that we have copies of all necessary documents.

6. Needless to say, the Valletta local council has a great conflict of interest here in competing with other businesses - if indeed it is even legal for it to be doing such business.

7. It was very remiss of whoever forgot to write on the Mepa application that Mr Simon Gauchi (misspelt on the application − in fact Cauchi − named as CEO and secretary of the VLC) was applying for and on behalf of the Valletta local council. This itself, besides the fact that the property is partly owned by third parties, should render the application null and void. 

8. The Mepa officials involved are already aware of these facts, which I have personally advised them of.

Now that you have all the correct facts, may I kindly ask Mepa and the Valletta local council what they intend doing?

L. D. Farrugia

For and on behalf of the owners