Residents gathered on Saturday for a press conference organised by Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar and the Balluta Mansions Action Group, demanding the scheduling of Villa St Ignatius, one of the oldest buildings in Sliema and St Julians.

This sprawling house built before 1839 has a rich architectural and cultural value, having been used as an English Protestant college, a Jesuit college, a metereological centre and a military hospital during WWI as well as housing Russian refugees fleeing the Russian Revolution.

Astrid Vella, Coordinator of Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) explained that in 2017, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) submitted Villa Ignatious for scheduling at Din l-Art Ħelwa’s request. However despite the fact that its more recent chapel and flanking private houses have been scheduled, the Planning Authority refused to schedule the older wing, which is probably the earliest example of Gothic Revival architecture in Malta.

Worse still, once the Superintendence was taken over by Planning Authority staff, the SCH reversed its position, and is now approving the damaging project, betraying its responsibility to protect Maltese heritage. Vella asked whether this reluctance to protect buildings like Villa St Ignatius and the Officer’s Mess at Tigne (former Holiday Inn) is due to the fact that speculators want to redevelop them. She emphasised that they should first be scheduled and then developed in respect of their heritage value.

Guido Dalli, St Julian’s mayor, emphasised that the villa lies in a residential area and therefore only hostels may be permitted; clearly a 64-bedroom hotel, rising to 7 floors is incompatible with the residential status of the area. It will also create a 5-storey blank party wall blocking neighbours’ property and is very much to their detriment.

The mayor of Sliema, John Pillow, expressed support for the residents’ fight and FAA’s stand, saying that the operation of the proposed hotel restaurants will negatively affect the quality of life of the residents in the area. Residents highlighted the fact that the overloaded drainage system is already overflowing at Balluta and that a large hotel would make the situation worse.

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar emphasised that roads flanking Villa St Ignatius are already gridlocked during rush hour and cannot cope with the increased traffic of tourist transport and hotel services, increasing noise and air pollution which contribute to asthma, strokes, coronary problems, cancer and dementia. Noise, lack of  light and ventilation in adjacent buildings will be detrimental to residents’ mental health.

Vella concluded by saying that where in the past Malta was colonised by foreign rulers, Malta is now colonised by its own people – developers who have been allowed to impact the most important aspect of daily life - public health - since politicians are far more interested in enriching their developer cronies than in protecting Malta’s residents.