18-storey tower proposed in Gzira, stone’s throw away from new tower

An application has been presented to the Planning Authority to demolish the existing vacant and dilapidated Wembley ice-cream factory in Gzira and construct 18 floors of office development a short distance away from 16 storey tower which is currently under construction on the former United Garage site.

The proponents say the demand for office space is expected to increase in the Brexit aftermath. The architect for the project is Ray Demicoli, a member of the PA’s design advisory committee
The proponents say the demand for office space is expected to increase in the Brexit aftermath. The architect for the project is Ray Demicoli, a member of the PA’s design advisory committee

An application to demolish the existing vacant and dilapidated Wembley ice-cream factory in Gzira and construct 18 floors of office development and four levels underground, has been presented to the Planning Authority. 

The new high-rise is being proposed opposite the massive hole excavated for the as yet undeveloped 33-storey Metropolis Tower, whose foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister in April 2015.

The Wembley application has been presented by Emil Bonello Ghio on behalf of Wembley Ice Cream Factory Limited. 

A spokesperson for the company told MaltaToday that the aim of the project is to address the growing demand for office space in the country which could possibly increase after Brexit. “The demand for office space by both local and foreign companies is huge especially from commercial and professional companies… The supply of office space is currently very low and such a project is very timely.”

The plans for the project are being prepared by architect Ray Demicoli, a member of the PA’s Design Advisory Committee, the panel advising the authority on the design of new buildings.

Demicoli abstains on any discussion about projects in which he is involved as architect. 

Plans presented to the PA foresee the preservation of parts of the present building and its façade, but would add 18 new storeys on top of it.

Unlike the neighbouring Muscat Motors building, which was granted protection together with various other modernist buildings in 2012, the ice-cream factory has not been scheduled by the PA. The Mira buildings, demolished to make way for the Metropolis development, was also not scheduled.

The Wembley factory was completed in 1937 and designed by Antonio Grech Dimech. The building is described as one of “the best examples of pre-war industrial architecture in Malta”, by architect Edward Said in an article published in the Architect, an official publication issued by the Chamber of Architects.

According to Said, the symmetrical facade includes subtle features which reflect the eclectic style used in dwellings at the time. The pilasters, which divide the façade, are expressed in the Art Deco style, “giving a sense of haute verticality to the squat two-storey building”.

Said had called on the PA to schedule the building to protect it from suffering the same fate suffered by Mira Building, which has made way for the gaping hole on the other side of the street.

Gzira is one of the localities earmarked for high-rise development in a policy approved by the Planning Authority in 2014. The application is still at its initial stages and is still being screened by the Planning Directorate before it is issued for public consultation.