An application for the demolition of Hunter’s Tower in Triq il-Wilga, Marsaxlokk, to be replaced by a 112-room hotel is set to be decided by the Planning Authority on Thursday.

The application proposes the construction of a ground floor, and three levels above, one of which will be receded.

The ground floor will house the reception, a restaurant, 27 guest rooms, a hall and a swimming pool. The first and second floors will each house 39 guest rooms, and the top floor will house 7 guest rooms, a restaurant, kitchen and a terrace.

The site in question is the Hunter’s Tower Restaurant, located in Triq il-Wilga, Marsaxlokk, which lies outside the limits of development, the case officer’s report reads. “The site covers 4,163m² and consists of a two-storey building located towards the north-western corner of the site and the rest of the site consisting of a mix of soft and hard landscaping. The existing building lies within the Urban Conservation Area boundary, but the gardens falls outside the limits of the Urban Conservation Area.” The case officer said that the existing building has no architectural or historical value.

“This is a full development application for the development of Hunter's Tower site in Marsaxlokk. The site in question is covered by the Marsaxlokk Inner Harbour Area Environment and Development Brief which established the development parameters and requirements for the site and was followed by the approval of an outline permission. According to the Development Brief, the site is reserved for tourism related uses, with the eastern confines of the site designated as an open space/garden/no development zone aimed at creating a buffer zone between the site and the marshland to the east of the site,” the Case officer’s report read.

“The previously approved outline development application assessed the principle of the proposal with regards to the land use, land take up, height and massing. An EIA process has was also carried out in the assessment of the outline application.”

The case officer has recommended that the application be granted.