Rialto redevelopment ordered to implement park and ride for roof top events

The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal has confirmed the Planning Authority’s approval for the redevelopment of Bormla’s historic Rialto Theatre, but ordered an amendment to the permit.

The EPRT ordered the PA to issue an amended permit within 30 days to include a legally enforceable traffic and parking plan before the complex can operate. The plan must feature a park and ride system.

The Grade 2 listed building is set to host a refitted theatre, rooftop venue, social club, restaurant and bar, boutique hotel, and exhibition and conference facilities.

Residents and NGOs, including Din l-Art Ħelwa, The Archaeological Society Malta, and Azzjoni Tuna Artna Lura, had appealed the original permit because of the visual impact of the new floor. The organisations also highlighted that the PA had failed to address the parking shortfall.

Studies presented before the permit was issued stated that the rooftop venue alone, with capacity for 300 patrons, could generate up to 337 vehicle trips per event, requiring around 120 parking spaces. This far exceeded the shortfall of 16 spaces accounted for through the developer’s payment into the Urban Improvements Fund.

In response, the tribunal ordered the authority to issue the amended permit within 30 days and also include the following condition: “This development permission shall be subject to a parking scheme which encourages the use of cabs and shared transport, and adopts a park and ride system. This parking scheme shall be subject to approval by Transport Malta, including any conditions it may deem necessary, and shall be in place prior to the operation of the development hereby permitted.”

While the tribunal did not mandate a single location for the park and ride, it discussed several potential sites identified in the developer’s transport studies.

A recently approved multi-storey car park (PA 2549/25), and tunnel connecting it to the Bormla seafront, instead of an existing surface car park next to the Bormla primary school, was highlighted as a feasible option for managing peak event demand. The multi-storey car park on which works have not yet started is around 400 metres away from the Rialto.

Other potential areas including the zone under or around St James Bastion were suggested but remain uncertain due to a pending road application (PA 7004/23). The tribunal ultimately left site selection to the developer, requiring Transport Malta approval and full implementation before operations commence.

While the tribunal accepted traffic and parking as legitimate concerns, it rejected other grounds raised by appellants. Objections over heritage impact and the visual effect of the rooftop, including removal of the pitched roof, were dismissed, with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage noting that the 1.2 metre height increase “evokes the style and appearance of the historical roof.”

Noise and amenity concerns, including the rooftop generator, were also rejected, based on proposed mitigation measures such as double-glazed apertures and an enclosed venue. Claims regarding breaches of strategic planning objectives and procedural failures were similarly dismissed.

The project is to be operated by Rialto Operations Ltd, selected through a call for expressions of interest by the Labour Party, which owns the Rialto. The company is 90% owned by GP Borg Holdings Ltd, a ready-mix concrete supplier, with the remaining 10% held by lawyer Charlon Gouder, a figure involved in Malta’s tuna ranching sector.

The development was approved by the PA in January 2025.

During the public hearing, Yana Mintoff, whose father Dom Mintoff had inaugurated the existing building in 1956 and regularly addressed Labour supporters at the venue, objected to the project. “This is a residential area in the heart of Bormla. We are not against the restoration of this majestic building but this is a huge commercial development which will lead to serious congestion,” she warned.

Mintoff’s objections contrasted with the stance taken by Bormla Mayor Marco Agius, who praised the project as one which gives a new lease of life to the locality. The mayor did express concern about noise pollution and urged developers to ensure that residents’ concerns are addressed.

NGO representative Romano Cassar was the only member to vote against, arguing that while he welcomed the restoration of the Grade 2 historic building, he opposed the erection of a rooftop venue due to its impact on the skyline and the absence of a social impact assessment taking into account residents’ concerns.