Heritage watchdog opposes sanctioning of Birgu Regatta Club’s kiosks

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage (SCH) has expressed its “grave concern” about the “unmonitored and unauthorised installation” of two kiosks and tents by the Birgu Regatta Club and has called on the Planning Authority to refuse the club’s application to regularise the structures.

The heritage watchdog criticised the “additions in an area known for its high landscape value, which are next to the Grade 1 listed Bastions of Santa Skolastica.”

The Birgu Regatta Club has recently applied to regularise the two illegally constructed kiosks, known as il-Kajjik kiosks, and to place chairs and tables next to them.

The kiosks, which have been operational for the past two years, were constructed on land between the regatta club and a car park. The Planning Authority has not issued an enforcement notice against the illegality in this historical location.

The kiosks are dwarfed by a tent approved as a “temporary and reversible tented structure,” sanctioned through a Development Notification Order in 2024, following an application presented by the Birgu local council.

In their application, the club stated that it did not own the land in question but had been granted consent by the owners, and that the land is not government-owned.

One of the kiosks is classified as a catering establishment where cooking is allowed, and the other is described as a catering establishment where no cooking is allowed.

The kiosks erected near the regatta club itself were not visible in aerial photos taken in 2018; however, they were visible in satellite imagery taken in 2024.

In the meantime, the Birgu local council has also applied for sanctioned alterations to the façade of the club.

In its reaction to this application, the SCH also expressed “grave concern” at the partial increase in height of the structure that abuts the bastions, and the creation of a staircase attached to the scheduled fortifications.

While noting that the increase in the club’s height cannot be reversed, the SCH proposed painting the apertures in a neutral stone colour to lessen the visual impact.

In 2019, the government stepped in to apply for the construction of a restaurant on top of the existing Birgu Regatta Club, despite objections from the SCH regarding its negative impact on the bastions.

However, the application was later turned down by the Planning Commission in 2020.