A planning application proposing the demolition of an abandoned hotel, excavation to accommodate parking levels, and the construction of a ‘high quality residential complex and landscaping of adjoining land’ was approved on Thursday.

The site in question is what used to be the Halland Hotel on Triq Ta' L- Ibragg, in Swieqi and covers an area of around 3,685 square metres.  It falls within the development boundary of Swieqi and will see the seven-story former hotel make way for a new eight-storey residential complex.  The new project proposed 136 parking spaces and 71 new residential units within the complex.

The project’s case officer recommended the proposal for approval, and the Planning Authority board voted 10 to 3 to approve the development.  Annick Bonello, Marthese Portelli and the Swieqi local council voted against.

Those who voted against the project did so citing concerns on the density of residents in the area, which was found to be ten times over what is stipulated within planning legislation for residents per 500 square metres.

The project team said that the height was in line with planning legislation for the area as that legislation stated that new buildings should follow the height of existing buildings.  The proposed height of the new complex is 25.63 metres, equating to almost eight storeys.

Almost 1,000 objections were registered against the project, and the Tal-Ibragg Complex Association said that “The proposal, recommended for approval, goes against the PA’s own maximum built up area of 30%, since this development has a site area of x and is building up y; this means that this development is blatantly disregarding the built up max area.”

Three local councils, Swieqi, St. Julian’s and San Gwann, had submitted representations on the project.  The former argued that that present building had been allowed to be built at its current height as an exception due to its use as a hotel, and said that given that the use of the proposed replacement for the Halland will be residential, the concessions received for the building’s height were rendered irrelevant.  The council also argued that the scale of the development would be a detriment to the value of Wied il-Kbir.

The St. Julian’s local council meanwhile highlighted the toll that such a high density residence ould have on both the residents in the area and on the existing infrastructure, whilst also saying that the structural integrity of the existing valley slop could be compromised due to excavation works.  The San Gwann council meanwhile said that the site is in a Residential Priority Area, and is “thus earmarked for the construction of detached and semi-detached dwellings and not a multitude of apartments; Any development or activity that would jeopardise the protected status or the conservation of the valley should not be permitted by the PA.”

The Planning Directorate in response had said that the proposed residential block has a lower traffic impact, usage times and vehicle typology, to those related to an operating hotel. They also said that the residential nature of the proposed block is deemed “acceptable in principle” in view of the Residential Priority Area zoning of the site.  The directorate also said that the replacement of the L-shaped hotel with the proposal, which consists of a waved replacement building with set-backs in each floor overlooking on Wied il-Kbir which, they said, is acceptable from an aesthetic point of view.

Representations saying that access to the underlying valley were discussed with ERA, and are covered by the authority.

The case officer’s report reads that, in comparison to the overall development, there is a slight under-provision in parking spaces (3 spaces less than required), keeping in mind that the medium parking standard has been applied. Therefore, the applicant is required to pay the sum of €3,495 to the Urban Improvement Fund, prior to the issuing of the development permission.

Objections were raised on the technical nature of the project, with objectors saying that the permit was in breach of the local plans for the area and also the design guidelines.  Objectors accused the developers of “mathematical yoga” in how the site coverage area was worked out, and various technical arguments were raised on how the guidelines had been interpreted. 

Further concerns were raised over the effect that the development would have on the underlying valley, with objectors saying that the proposed building would tower over the valley and reduce the ridge buffer zone to next to nothing, whilst also restricting access into the valley

Noel Muscat, the Swieqi mayor, noted that with a project like this there are 400 residents who don’t have any area that can be used for recreational purposes.  “Where is the greenery?  Where are we improving the environment?”, Muscat questioned.  “We come here every week to repeat the same things: why are these projects so big? Why do they ignore the environment and people’s wellbeing?”, he asked.

The developer Raymond Fenech, from Tumas Group, insinuated that a substantial number of the 1,000 or so objections said to have been submitted were in fact fake names and that when the list of objectors was checked with the electoral register, a number of these names were not found.  He said that as the developer, all his company had done was follow policies which were currently in place.