Boutique hotel in Qormi could consume nearly half of historic garden

The Qormi council is objecting to a planning permit request for a boutique hotel in the San Ġorġ village core, which would extend into an adjacent garden.

However, the Planning Authority is constrained by an outline permit, which approved the massing of the project and the takeover of 44% of the existing garden.

The property in question consists of an 18th-century palazzo on Triq il-Kbira and its garden, situated within the Urban Conservation Area of Qormi. The application, submitted by Pecunia European Properties Ltd, owned by Nadesh Parnis, proposes the demolition of derelict structures in the garden and the construction of multiple residential blocks, including 17 pools, within the property’s private baroque garden.

Outline permit already foresees loss of garden space

The Planning Authority has already issued an outline permit for the use of 44% of the existing garden.

Outline permits, which determine a project’s massing without requiring detailed plans showing the final design and visual impact, were abolished in 2012 and reintroduced in 2015. One major issue with outline permits is that they create a legal expectation of approval before critical matters are assessed.

In this case, the permit was issued without a detailed block plan indicating all trees on site and without a works method statement. Both the Environment and Resources Authority and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage accepted the submission of these documents after the presentation of a full planning application.

Moreover, the outline permit application, submitted in 2022 and approved in 2024, went unnoticed, with residents only becoming aware of the project’s impact after its approval. In fact, no objection was filed at that time.

The case officer had also recommended approval, while noting that some details—such as “the number of tourist accommodation units and the ancillary facilities proposed within the guesthouse,” would be assessed during the full development application process.

Encroachment beyond policy limits

The case officer’s report acknowledged that the proposed extension into the garden exceeds the 30-metre plot depth permitted by planning policies. Nevertheless, the officer concluded that “the integrity of the existing garden will still be safeguarded.”

Although the area is designated for residential development in the local plan, the policy regulating development in Urban Conservation Areas recognises that internal gardens play “a very important role in maintaining a very high-quality urban environment” and calls for the “conservation, protection and enhancement” of these “urban lungs”.

Council warns of incompatible scale

The council, led by its mayor Josef Masini Vento, has argued that the project’s scale is incompatible with the very concept of a “boutique hotel”. The council insisted that by definition this should be small in scale and sensitive to its architectural and historical context. Instead, the council warned, the proposed development would overwhelm the existing palazzo, destroy its unique garden, and threaten a historic water source located on-site.

While expressing support for the restoration of the palazzo itself, the council voiced “grave concern” over the planned extension, which it said would obliterate a “majestic garden” featuring ornamental ponds, colonnades, antique statues, and centuries-old olive trees. These elements, it noted, were not acknowledged in the submitted planning documentation.

Referring to existing policy, the council warned that the development contradicts the aims of the Urban Conservation Area policy and breaches Article 4.1.1 of the 2015 Development Control Design Policy, which protects open spaces in urban settings. The council also flagged the potential risk to the existing water table, raising concerns about contamination from pool chemicals and pesticides, as well as interference with residents’ access to this traditional water source.

Mayor Josef Masini Vento also cautioned that approving the project would set a dangerous precedent, potentially encouraging further encroachments into green spaces within protected areas across Malta.

He urged the Planning Authority to restrict any tourism operation to the existing palazzo footprint and reject the proposed extensions, citing both legal obligations and the need to preserve what remains of Qormi’s urban green heritage.

Superintendence endorsed downscaled plans

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage endorsed the outline permit after the developer downscaled the original plans, which had envisioned an even larger extension into the garden. The Superintendent also welcomed the intention to install green roofs, which would help the proposed structures blend in more harmoniously with the garden when viewed from above.

The permit was issued despite the case officer’s admission that the proposed extensions exceed the permitted 30-metre plot depth, arguing that a substantial portion of the garden would still be retained.