PA approves three new floors on listed Paceville buildings

The Planning Authority has in principle approved the addition of three floors to a row of nine listed Grade 2 townhouses in Paceville which date back to the 1930s.

The outline permit issued today sets the parameters for future planning applications presented by the different owners of the townhouses.   

Only NGO representative Romano Cassar voted against the proposal. Cassar noted that following a landmark decision by the law courts in Santa Lucija, the PA was not approving applications disrupting uniform streetscapes even when the buildings in question are not scheduled.

“In this case the owners are trying to circumvent this by applying for more floors on the entire site.” Cassar added that this was not acceptable on scheduled site.

While accepting the application in principle, following a recommendation by board member Martin Camilleri, the board decided that the extent of the setback of the new floors from the current rooftops should be established at a later stage following the presentation of photomontages and more information on the design of the project. 

The proposal was favourably recommended by both the case officer and the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage given the proposed one-metre setback of the upper floors.  

The project architect argued that the new development will follow the “same architectural language” of the existing townhouses’ and is meant to fill the gap created by blank party walls on both sides of the development.

Tara Cassar on behalf of Din l-Art Helwa argued that despite adjacent development this row of townhouses still constitutes a distinct streetscape which should be protected.  She also expressed concern on the approval of an outline permit in absence of information on the design and the use of the new development proposed on listed buildings.

The row of scheduled two-storey townhouses fronting Triq il-Wilġa and Triq Paceville, dates back from the interwar period and is currently scheduled as a Grade 2 property, a status which normally precludes demolition or significant alterations to the buildings. In this case, the townhouses will not be demolished but will have three full storeys constructed on top of them.

Since the outline application as presented is meant to establish the parameters for a future full development, the design of the project will only be approved at that later stage, after the PA has committed the site for a five-storey development.

The proposal was made by Priscilla Calleja who declared not fully owning the site but having the consent of the owners to present the application.

Back in 2017 Calleja had requested the addition of two floors to transform her property into a guesthouse, but her application was recommended for refusal following the objection of the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage. In 2018, Planning Authority chairperson Johann Buttigieg proposed an outline application to be instead submitted for the whole stretch of scheduled properties, to determine the building height and external appearance, and avoid piecemeal development. Buttigieg had noted the outline application will cover an area well beyond the applicant’s property and will act as a masterplan for the whole area.