Mdina’s Palazzo Gourgion eyes terrace restaurant, boutique hotel

The Planning Authority’s planning directorate is recommending a refusal for plans by the owners of Mdina’s gorgeous Palazzo Gourgion, for a seven-room hotel with two restaurants at roof and ground levels.

The case officer said the plans would be in breach of zoning rules. A final decision will be taken by the Planning Authority board on 25 February.

Palazzo Gourgion sits adjacent to the neo-Gothic building fronting the main square of the Mdina Cathedral, and enjoys the highest level of protection.

Weighing on the proposal is a proposed roof terrace restaurant, and another on the ground floor, which constitute a large proportion of the floor area of the entire project.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage objected to the placing of tables, chairs and umbrellas on the rooftop “due to the consequential impact on this elegant building and other scheduled properties in the immediate vicinity”.

Residents fear the roof terrace restaurant will increase noise levels, impacting on the soundscape of Mdina, known as ‘the Silent City’.

The case officer also described the size of the proposed two restaurants as “excessive for the seven suites being proposed”. Since the restaurant will have a separate access to the proposed hotel, “it can easily be operated separately” from it. This was deemed to be in breach of the local plan for Mdina, which specifies that restaurants should be “ancillary” to tourist accommodation.

According to the case officer, tourism accommodation may be considered on this site as long as the access is from Triq Villegaignon, which is zoned for “the consolidation of business activities” in the local plan. But this is only acceptable as long as the access is from this street, and none of the square. Submitted drawings indicate that the hotel will have access from Triq Villegaignon, while the restaurant will be accessed from Misraħ San Pawl.

Photo-montages by the developers show that the rooftop restaurant will not be visible from street level although it will impact on aerial views of the city.

The proposal also foresees a glazed structure in the central garden to accommodate a restaurant.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage expressed concern on the proposed demolition and the raising of roofs at the upper most level.

The development application seeks permission for the re-joining of a previously split palazzo, into a single property, the change of use from a residential dwelling and a shop to a hotel with “ancillary facilities” including a restaurant on the ground floor and another one on the roof terrace.

The owners of the palazzo were last year awarded over €1 million in damages, in constitutional proceedings brought by the owners of the stately home.

In 1976 by means of a private writing, Mark Pace’s predecessors leased this historic palazzo for a period of 10 years, but the owners were caught within the shackles of 1979’s legal amendments allowing Maltese tenants to acquire the right to continue residing in such premises indefinitely.

In 2021, the Courts found that the law had breached the owners’ right to enjoy their property.