Approved policy gives Selmun Hotel a new wing

The government has approved a policy proposed by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority which identifies the site for an extension of the Selmun Hotel through the construction of a "new wing". 

The new policy also allows for the demolition of the existing hotel and the construction of bungalows over a  footprint which cannot exceed that of the existing hotel and that of the proposed new wing.

"The policy does not rule out the design option of low-rise bungalow development," a reply to a submission made by a member of the public states.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has already published a map identifying the site of the new hotel wing which is outside develoment zones.  Part of the proposed new wing will be built on the hotel's tennis courts and on cultivated fields.  Outside facilities can also be developed on a landscaped area presently occupied by cultivated fields.

The new policy states that quality tourism development will occupy the bulk of development on the site but does not exclude other land uses.  The policy does not allow any increase in building heights and that the development must not have any negative impact on the historical Selmun tower and on ecological areas. An area around the Selmun tower cannot be developed to protect its setting.

While any development proposal cannot exceed the overall height of the existing main hotel building, the policy encourages "the creative use of architectural elements, different colour schemes and materials".

The government had announced in October hat it intended buying the site from Air Malta with the intention of divesting itself of the property at a later stage.  Previous attempts by Air Malta to divest itself of the property had all failed.