High-rise on the hill: Ta’ Giorni 14-storey tower seeks permit

The owners of the former Palms wedding halls are seeking a three-tower permit for their Ta’ Giorni hillside site to build 165 apartments in the St Julian’s neighbourhod.

Owner Andrew Borg has plans for three towers of 12, 13 and 14 floors over a gross floor area of 60,000sq.m.

But with the exception of Paceville, St Julian’s was never identified as one of the high-rise zones where development over 10 storeys can be approved. The project will be located just 200m from the Lapsi church and in the immediate vicinity of Wied il-Balluta and its agricultural land.

The terraced towers will rise to a maximum height of 42m above ground, with a four-story underground parking complex for 460 cars, and a commercial space of 2,360sq.m above the car park. A chapel and a fountain are also being proposed at ground level.

The developers also want to divert vehicular traffic into Sqaq Ciantar, from where the underground parking can be accessed. The project will generate 600 new car trips during a 24-hour cycle, yet the developers insist the closure of the 500-guest wedding hall will have positive impacts in terms of noise, traffic and waste generation.

If approved, the project is expected to generate 150,000 cubic metres of inert waste. A solar path study and visual impact study is being conducted.

This is the third attempt by the owners to develop the site. In June 2004 they wanted to develop the lavish gardens into a four-block complex with towers of 19, nine, five, and four storeys. Following strong public opposition, the development was dropped.

In 2007, developers JPM Brothers presented an application to demolish the hall and build 347 new apartments, 24 penthouses and 359 garages. The application was later withdrawn after the group went bust. The project would have seen six tower blocks gradually rising to 10 storeys, in an area where development is limited to just three storeys.

Although the site lies outside the Paceville high-rise zone, it is eligible for medium-rise development according to the Floor Area Ratio policy, which is applicable to sites over 4,000sq.m.