Councillors fear Fleur-de-Lys domino effect with demolition request for townhouse

Another early 20th century townhouse in Fleur de Lys is being threatened with demolition to add three additional storeys to a two-floor townhouse, breaking the area’s uniform skyline with a blank party wall on neighbouring townhouses.

The townhouse is located between Triq il-Madonna ta’ Pompej on one side and Triq Fleur de Lys, 170m from the Ġnien l-Istazzjon and in the vicinity of the Dar tal-Kleru. But the area was not included in Birkirkara’s urban conservation area in the 2006 local plans.

The developer wants to retain the townhouse façade but move the roof’s balustrades to a penthouse level. The proposed development will have eight dwellings and a ground-floor shop.

But approval could set a precedent for the uniform townhouse row. It’s the second application presented in the past month envisaging five-storey development in this historical street – the complete demolition of another two-storey townhouse located 12m away from the Carmelite church.

Birkirkara council minority leader Antoine Attard warned that the historical centre will be “completely destroyed” if this “five-storey monster” is approved, and called on the PA to schedule the buildings in a letter on behalf of PN councillors.

Attard fears the development will trigger a domino effect for townhouse demolition that “destroys the pattern, settlement and character of the town centre”. 

The Birkirkara local council is expected to discuss the application shortly.

Although not recognised as an Urban Conservation Area, the historical value of the townhouses has been repeatedly recognised by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage which had recommended the inclusion of these townhouses in the UCA and a list of protected buildings. 

Commenting on another development in 2017, the watchdog declared that it “had already recommended that buildings along Triq Fleur de Lys are scheduled to preserve visual integrity of the historic streetscape.” It remains a mystery why this step was never taken. 

The decision not to designate Fleur de Lys as a UCA was questioned again by the Superintendence when in 2021 it expressed “surprise and concern that the streetscape has not been given the protection due to the area as an Urban Conservation Area”, over a request for a garage and change of apertures on another property in the same street.

The recognition of the historical importance of these buildings would preclude their demolition  in line with the objectives of the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (the most important planning policy) which states clearly that there should be “a presumption against demolition of property worthy of conservation” and says that “development within historic sites is to be carried in such a manner that the historic site’s skyline is not adversely affected”.