[SLIDESHOW] Saqqajja hotel architects propose new access to Mdina

A proposed hotel on Saqqajja Hill will have part of its grounds on public land if talks with the government are successful.

The proponents have confirmed they are in talks with the government to acquire public land below Mdina’s ramparts, part of which will also be used to create a new public passageway to Mdina ditch.

In a presentation to MaltaToday architect David Xuereb spoke of plans to create a new link between an existing staircase located between the buildings on Saqqajja Hill and the Mdina ditch.

This new passageway will connect the hotel to Mdina and will be accessible to the public, creating another access point to the ditch garden.

The 110-room hotel is set to replace the former Tattingers disco and adjacent buildings. The project applicant is Jeffrey Cutajar, the owner of Tattingers.

A public car park at Saqqajja will remain public but will be used by the hotel. The project envisages a drop-off point for vans and coaches in the vicinity of the new hotel.

The actual building will comprise a five-star hotel built over five terraced levels. It will replace the Tattingers and adjacent buildings that are between two and three storeys high. The buildings are situated on private land.

The new building will also be receded and set back to widen the existing road.

Xuereb insisted the project will not do anything, which will impinge on views of Mdina. The Silent City, as it is known, has been proposed as a World Heritage site.

“The hotel represents an increased opportunity for the appreciation of Mdina whose application for World Heritage Status we fully support… Mdina will remain the focus of views, floating in  a sea of green,” Xuereb said.

PR consultant Lou Bondi who was present during the presentation also pointed out that the fortunes of the project were tied with Mdina’s.

“It is simply not in our interest to do anything which negatively impinges on Mdina,”he said.

Since no excavations are being proposed the project will not impact on the integrity of the railway tunnel located 20 metres under the ground.  The hotel owners are also interested in the restoration of the tunnel but these plans hit a snag because of squatters who occupy its entrance.

Photomontages confirm an increase in the massing of the project on Saqqajja Hill due to the increase in heights but the development is stepped in a way, which respects the topography of the hill.

The visual impact will also be mitigated through the use of the green wall concept.

Asked about plans for the ODZ area behind the hotel, Xuereb confirmed that a pool area will be developed next to an existing old building, which will be retained and restored. But he also added that plans for this part of the project are still being drafted in consultation with the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage.

Xuereb said that the owners have also made it clear that if a hotel is not approved the owners would apply to build apartments, describing this as “Plan B”.

He said the developers would have had a “faster return” from developing apartments on the prime site.

But a hotel is needed because of the lack of such facilities in the area, Xuereb added.

“The development of a hotel is also deemed to have a more positive impact on the local economy,” he said.

When asked whether the project will include restaurants, the developers insisted that apart from hotel rooms and a proposed spa, the project will only have a “breakfast area”.

The developers also intend to consult with the Environment and Resources Authority, which has objected to the development.

ERA objects to project

In its first submission on the project ERA expressed concern on the massing of the project noting that despite “the stepped façade profile” it may have an impact on long distance views and the urban landscape. But it also noted that the extent of the proposed development protrudes beyond the boundaries of the urban hamlet in to “undeveloped ODZ land”.

“It is clear that the project will result in further sprawl in the remaining agricultural open gap,”ERA said.

It also expressed concern that the proposed drop off point along Triq l-Infetti would aggravate the traffic situation. ERA concluded that the project as proposed was in breach of the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED), which protects sensitive landscapes of cultural importance.  ERA reiterated its view that hotels should be limited to designated prime tourism sites.