Concern over 11-storey hotel proposal that will rise above four townhouses in Gżira

A proposed redevelopment of four townhouses in Gżira is raising concern over its scale and impact on the last stretch of two-storey homes in Triq Sir Charles Cameron.

The planning application (259/26), submitted by DRZ Properties Ltd, seeks to demolish the interiors of the existing dwellings while retaining their historic façades and constructing an 11-storey hotel. The hotel will consist of 56 units and 112 beds.

The proposed Class 3B hotel would include basement-level amenities, a ground-floor reception and restaurant, guest rooms from the first floor upwards, and a rooftop pool and facilities.

If approved as submitted, the development would become the tallest building along this section of the street—a significant shift in the streetscape that, despite gradual encroachment by five-storey apartment blocks, is still characterised by early 20th-century townhouses of modest height and traditional proportions.

In its assessment of the application, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage stressed that the properties form part of a “significant streetscape” within a Design Priority Area, where planning policy requires heights, fenestration, proportions, and architectural elements to be preserved and enhanced.

The authority acknowledged the proposal’s retention of the existing façades but expressed concern that the scale of the new construction rising behind them would visually overwhelm the historic frontage and alter the character of the street.

The Superintendence noted that the buildings contain clearly defined traditional features, including closed timber balconies, stone staircases, xorok ceilings supported by wooden beams, and extensive patterned tiles in good condition.

It objected to the total internal demolition and recommended that substantial elements of the interiors be conserved and integrated into the project. It also urged the recovery and on-site reuse of the period tiles.

Another key concern is the massing of the extension, which the authority warned would create prominent blank party walls unlikely to be screened by neighbouring properties that have already been redeveloped. It also cautioned that the relatively low floor-to-ceiling heights proposed for the new levels could further disrupt the traditional vertical rhythm of the streetscape.

The Superintendence said it will issue further comments only after revised plans addressing these concerns are submitted.