Corinthia Attard drops plans for two additional floors

The Corinthia Palace Hotel Company has abandoned plans to add two receded floors to its existing four-storey hotel in Attard.

The additional storeys would have accommodated an additional 40 rooms.

The withdrawal of the application was confirmed by company CEO Simon Naudi when contacted by MaltaToday.

“We have decided to focus our investment efforts on the Corinthia Palace’s current inventory, where we will continue to invest and upgrade our amenities and product,” Naudi said.

An outline application envisioning the two additional floors was submitted last year. Subsequently, the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage requested photomontages to better assess the impact of the proposal.

Last year, Naudi told MaltaToday that “any future development will be made in full compliance with zoning laws and sensitivities” and “in a manner that complements and enhances the visual appearance of the property.”

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage had already issued its clearance for the development, excluding any negative impact on the cultural heritage.

However, more than 30 individuals, including the Balzan and Attard local councils, objected, fearing a negative impact on the skyline.

The local plans approved in 2006 allow the extension of the hotel, provided several conditions are met.

One of these conditions is that the scale and quality of the design must be consistent with the character of the area and the existing building, and that the proposed extension does not exceed the height of the current hotel.

However, in 2014, the Planning Authority introduced a new policy allowing hotels to rise two storeys above local plan limits. In fact, the Malta Tourism Authority had immediately deemed the hotel eligible for the application of this policy.

Currently, the Corinthia Palace offers just 130 rooms, which, according to Naudi, places it among the smaller operations at the top end of Malta’s five-star market.

Characterised by its extensive gardens near San Anton Gardens, the hotel was inaugurated in 1968 by the Duke of Edinburgh.

Originally starting out as a restaurant in 1962, it is still described by the company as its “spiritual home.”