The facts about the Villa Rosa project | Anton Camilleri

Current planning application will be scrapped

The application submitted in 2022 will be scrapped, as both the Planning Authority and ourselves as the owners and developers of the site believe a better project can be delivered that will provide greater benefits to all stakeholders. We have already expressed our commitment to reduce the height and establish fixed building heights to ensure additional floors are not added in future applications.

Local plan review not done to ‘accommodate’ and ‘multiply’ this project

If the objective was to ‘multiply’ the project this could have been easily done by adhering to the current policies. By amending the Local Plan, the PA is trying to ensure that any project on this site safeguards the environmentally-sensitive areas and introduces new public open space in what is a dense urban zone, as well as imposing a capping on height and volume. All of these points had not been envisioned in the Local Plan when it was drawn up in 2006.

Villa Rosa was always singled out in the Local Plan

The Local Plans were last updated in 2006, and it was back then that Villa Rosa was singled out due to its size and strategic location. This was before the site was bought by Garnet Investments Ltd. It’s important to note that in 2016, there was a different strategy involving a masterplan for all of Paceville but that approach ultimately failed.

The need for a Local Plan review emerged following discussions between the developer and authorities – discussions that are normal to have especially with a project of this scale and national importance. In order to amend the project to meet the priorities of all stakeholders, it was necessary for the Local Plan to be reviewed. It is important to note that the Planning Authority drafted the objectives, and for the sake of clarity, Garnet Investments did not participate in any Cabinet meetings. It is also worth noting that the site is privately owned. Garnet Investments Ltd acquired it from a private company and several other individuals over several years.

Site already covered by a planning permit

A permit was obtained in 2018 for a mixed-use development, including residential units. This permit can be executed. However, we chose to amend those plans partly because of the way the surrounding area had developed, and the need for high-quality tourism in Malta. Also, since that application’s approval new policies were introduced. Therefore, any comparison of future proposals to the approved permit is misleading, as the uses and policy context are entirely different. Comparisons must be made against the potential height and GFA allowed under current policies for the existing uses.

This is one of the few areas in Malta where towers make sense

The Villa Rosa area is already surrounded with high-rise buildings. This is one of the few areas in Malta where towers are allowable and make sense within the urban context. Towers allow to reduce the build-up footprint and therefore create more public open spaces.

It is also not true that there is a height limitation of eight storeys. The Height Limitation Policy for Hotels, published by the Planning Authority in 2014, does not cap the number of floors, as long as it is a landmark building used for a four- or five-star hotel. The exact wording of the policy is: “In the case of four/five star hotels, more than two floors over and above the number of floors permitted in the Local Plan may be considered, provided that the resultant design constitutes a landmark having unique characteristics within the urban context.” Consequently, this means there is no restriction on height, which effectively results in no limit on the Gross Floor Area.  However, in the proposed objectives of this Local Plan review a capping establishing the height is being proposed.

Valley will be fully protected

Moviment Graffitti have falsely accused us of planning to destroy the valley. In reality, the objectives published by the Planning Authority for public consultation demand that any environmentally-sensitive areas are protected. We fully support this objective and are committed to removing environmentally-sensitive areas from the development scheme, effectively creating a larger buffer zone to protect the valley.

International high-end brands

Internationally-renowned brands are already earmarked for this project. The idea is to bring these brands to Malta to address key gaps in the current tourism offering while strengthening the country’s competitive position on the global stage. This project has the potential to generate well-paid, high-quality jobs, creating attractive employment opportunities for the Maltese workforce.

Anton Camilleri is owner of Garnet Investments, promoters of the Villa Rosa project