MEPA rejects Zaren Vassallo’s retirement home plan

MEPA has turned down an application by construction magnate Nazzareno Vassallo to enlarge Villa Messina, a retirement home located in Misrah San Duminku next to Saint Dominic's convent in Rabat.

MEPA's Environment Planning Commission refused the development because the "excessive massing and height" directly adjacent to a historic convent, church and surrounding gardens would have resulted in a negative visual impact. The development would not have respected the visual integrity of the area.

The board also noted that the site has been identified as a residential priority area in the local plan.

In refusing Vassallo's application, the board decided to go against the advice of the Planning Directorate to approve the development.

The project also had the blessing of the Department of Health Care Services Standards.

The proposed extension consisted of an extra 15 rooms to the 102-bedroom complex located entirely in the grounds of Villa Messina. It also included the roofing of an outdoor pool.

The site lies within an area with an established building height limitation of two floors. But according to the case officer report, the building in question is already four floors high overlooking Misrah San Duminku.

The report states that "the four-storey extension" would not have had any impact on the roofscape or skyline of the area and would have not detracted any views from the street.