Environmental NGO Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) has strongly criticised the Planning Authority (PA) in a statement after it approved a controversial application to convert a heritage townhouse in St Julian’s into a four-storey guesthouse, despite a formal objection from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) and more than 130 public objections.
The approved application (PA 02573/26) concerns the redevelopment of a residential property at 66, Telgħet Birkirkara, St Julian’s, involving extensive internal alterations and extensions to accommodate a guesthouse.
FAA said both it and the SCH had raised serious concerns over the scale and height of the proposed development, noting that the site lies within a street designated for two-storey buildings under the Local Plans.
According to the NGO, the approved project would introduce excessive massing and large party walls that would negatively affect the character of the Urban Conservation Area (UCA). It also argued that the proposal breaches Planning Authority policy, including DC2015 Policy P5 on demolition and alterations within UCAs and Policy P39 governing setback relationships.
The organisation placed particular emphasis on the objections raised by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the statutory authority responsible for advising on heritage matters.
In its submission, the SCH described the building as having "very high architectural value", citing its façade, forecourt and covered portico as key heritage features. It concluded that the proposal would fundamentally alter the property's character, describing it as "a major redefinition of the building's legibility".
The SCH also warned that the proposed four-storey development would dominate the neighbouring Villa Santa Teresa and concluded that the application was "objectionable in principle".
Despite this, FAA claimed the Planning Commission approved the development without discussing either the SCH's objections or those submitted by members of the public.
The commission, chaired by Elizabeth Ellul and including Cornelia Tabone and Matthew Caruana, approved the application, according to FAA.
FAA also questioned the Planning Commission's interpretation of the SCH's position, arguing that references suggesting the heritage authority had raised no objection to demolition were inconsistent with the substance of its formal submission.
Representatives from the NGO attended the Planning Commission hearing and said there was no discussion of the issues raised by objectors before the application was approved.
The organisation also criticised the published meeting minutes, describing them as inadequate because they reportedly contain no recorded discussion.
FAA argued that the approval raises broader concerns about decision-making within the Planning Authority, particularly when a statutory heritage authority objects in principle, a previous application concerning the site had been refused, and more than 130 objections had been filed by the public.
The NGO accused the Planning Authority of failing to uphold Malta's heritage protection process and said the authority had "betrayed the public", claiming it had become a "Permitting Authority" rather than an independent planning regulator.