St Julian's: Garden to make way for 36 dwellings

A six-storey development will take the place of a garden adjacent to a St Julian's town house

Yet another residential development, this time catering for 36 units and proposed by Bilom Group, has been approved in Triq Birkirkara in St Julian's. 

Although the façade of the existing one storey town house will be retained, an adjacent garden with a depth of 23 metres will be obliterated. Protected trees in this garden will be replanted elsewhere.

The six-storey development, which will have three levels of basement parking, will be highly visible from Balluta valley.

It will consist of a multiple dwelling development having a minimum height of three floors within the Urban Conservation Area, stepping up to a maximum height of five floors and penthouse level, with underlying basement level parking in the area outside the UCA. 

It will consist of a multiple dwelling development having a minimum height of three floors within the Urban Conservation Area
It will consist of a multiple dwelling development having a minimum height of three floors within the Urban Conservation Area

Din l-Art Helwa had noted that the building lies in an area which is zoned as a four-floor with semi-basement. The proposal is of a six-floor building from street level, but appears as seven storeys from the valley beneath it. 

In the section of the site, which is situated in UCA, the proposal retains simply the facade but the remainder of building is proposed to be demolished except for the main entrance hall, which will be dismantled and re-integrated into the proposed development. 

The existing town house which will now have two more storeys added on it was built on one floor with basement level in a formal symmetrical style, generally datable to the inter-war period, having a main entrance flanked by two Doric columns and an overlying open balcony. 

Bilom is also awaiting a permit for the redevelopment of the Cloisters, a scheduled building on nearby Mrabat road. The development was recommended for approval by the case officer. A decision by the Environment Planning Commission was due last Friday but the case has now been handed over to the PA’s Planning Board, the authority’s highest board.