The Planning Authority has refused a controversial application to convert the historic Palazzo tat-Tabib Maempel in Qormi into a boutique hotel, after the developer failed to submit revised plans addressing planning policy concerns raised by the Planning Commission.
The application, submitted by Pecunia European Properties Ltd, proposed the restoration of the 18th-century Knights-era palazzo in Triq il-Kbira together with the construction of 21 hotel rooms, 17 swimming pools and new accommodation blocks extending into the property's historic garden.
Although the proposal had initially been recommended for approval by the Planning Authority's Development Management Directorate, the Planning Commission deferred its decision earlier this month after questioning whether the project complied with policies protecting gardens and open spaces within Urban Conservation Areas (UCAs).
Rather than deciding the application on 9 July, the commission directed the applicant to submit revised plans significantly reducing the scale of the development. While commissioners indicated they were willing to support the restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic palazzo for tourist accommodation, they requested the removal of the proposed accommodation wings on the north, west and east sides of the property, as well as all planned swimming pools.
No revised plans were submitted before Thursday's meeting, leading the commission to refuse the application.
In its decision, the commission said that although the restoration of the palazzo itself was acceptable, the additional development remained excessive and incompatible with the site's historic significance and its location within an Urban Conservation Area.
The refusal reflects the conclusions reached by the Planning Authority's case officer following the commission's earlier directions. The proposal was found to breach Policy G21 of the Development Control Design Policy, Guidance and Standards 2015, which protects gardens and backyards within UCAs, as well as Policy P27, which restricts the depth of development to 30 metres.
The commission also concluded that the scale and intensity of the proposed intervention would erode the site's historic character and negatively affect both the historic core of Qormi and the surrounding community.
The application had attracted widespread opposition from the Qormi Local Council, Mayor Josef Masini, residents, Nationalist MP Jerome Caruana Cilia, Vuci Kollettiva, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar and Moviment Graffitti, all of whom argued that the development would irreversibly damage one of the locality's few remaining historic gardens.
The decision represents a significant reversal from the Planning Authority's original recommendation, which had concluded that the project complied with planning policies and would promote the conservation and adaptive reuse of the historic palazzo.