NGO Moviment Graffitti said that Sliema residents cannot continue to suffer so that greedy developers can continue to make profit.

During a press conference held in front of an old, derelict farmhouse standing between lower and upper Parisio street, the NGO spoke against the proposed development of an 11-storey hotel by developer Michael Stivala.

The hotel is being proposed in a part of Sliema zoned as a 'residential area' in the local plan, where hotels are not allowed, the NGO said. However, the case officer of the application invoked a policy on 'consolidation and regeneration initiatives' which considers similar commitments just a short distance away on the Gżira seafront, the NGO said.

This gives the Planning Authority flexibility in assessing tourism development if it is compatible with the surrounding neighbourhood. 

Moviment Graffitti, together with residents of the area, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) and other organisations showed their disgust at the proposed development which falls within a residential zone. The application is recommended for approval by the PA.

"Stivala's proposal would tower over the historic gardens of Villa Bonici, the last remaining green lung in Sliema, and be a cause of added congestion and noise pollution in an already overburdened residential area," Graffitti activist Marie Claire Gatt said.

Gatt said that it is unacceptable that a proposed project is approved solely due to the fact that there are other tourist establishments in the vicinity. The NGO said that the buildings in the immediate vicinity around the site's perimeter are solely residential.

FAA Coordinator Astrid Vella voiced her concerns, saying that the development does not respect the two historical monuments in the vicinity which have characterized the zone for more than a century. Vella said that only 10 years ago, there were still fields being worked by the Maltese.

"We cannot accept this development when it goes against so many regulations. It must be refused," she said.

Vella also said that the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage is not fulfilling its duty in preserving the farmhouse, the historical monuments as well as the garden next to the farmhouse.

Residents also voiced their concerns on the way in which Stivala has carried out works in Sliema and Gzira with totally impunity, arrogance and disregard for residents.

They said that Stivala's presence in Parisio Street has resulted in irregular works which caused the destruction of decades-old trees, an old stone well, the tearing down of part of a vernacular townhouse as well as jeopardising the Villa Bonici garden to run the plot as a private car park.

Stivala then applied to have the works partially sanctioned, experiencing no repercussions to the illegal works he had done, the NGOs said.

Graffitti said that the PA's mission statement is not being fulfilled as it is not truly seeking to act "on behalf of the community to provide a balanced and sustainable environment."

"The public, as well as organisations supporting them, have no faith in Stivala's word, nor in the PA's enforcement of regulations, and they will not be won over by talk of an agreement that would see Stivala maintain a pedestrian passageway and a storm-water culvert linking upper and lower Parisio Street. Therefore, they will be using all means possible to keep Stivala's towering hotel from being developed," the NGO said.

The press conference was attended by residents, with the participation of Moviment Graffitti, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Grow 10 Trees, Din l-Art Ħelwa, S-Cubed, BirdLife... The planning board meeting deciding on this development proposal will be held on Tuesday 22nd November at 11:30.