Birgu council's Regatta club extension withdrawn

An application by the Birgu local council  to add a new storey to the regatta club in Birgu which abuts on the bastion  has been withdrawn after it was  shot down by two heritage watchdogs. 

MEPA was due to take a decision today but the board has been informed that the controversial application was being withdrawn.  Details on the mepa website confirm that the application was withdrawn "on the request of the applicant." But contacted by MaltaToday Birgu Mayor John Boxall was not aware that the application had been withdrawn.

"As the applicant I should know that the application has been withdrawn," Boxall told Maltatoday.  Boxall confirmed that the architect was from the government's own public works department.

The council’s application was first brought to public attention by MaltaToday last month.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage had objected  to the proposed addition to the Birgu Regatta Club, located within the ditch below the Vittoriosa bastions along the shore of Kalkara creek.

And MEPA’s Cultural Heritage Panel is objecting not only to the additional height proposal, but also to other structures at ground level.

Mayor John Boxall presented the application, to also regularise illegal development in August last year.

According to the Superintendence, the proposed additional height will interrupt existing views of the bastions.

The Superintendence noted that the harbour fortifications were placed on the “tentative list” for inscription as a Unesco World Heritage Site. A sally port, which forms part of the fortifications, is located a few metres away from the proposed development.

The Superintendence did not object to the proposed alterations at ground level. But it is calling on MEPA to reject the development if the proposed first floor level is not removed.

But for MEPA’s Cultural Heritage Panel, the existing building is already creating a negative impact on the bastions and it is therefore objecting not just to any increase in height to the present building, but also to any sanctioning of structures at ground floor, which the panel says should be demolished.

The site is already subject to three enforcement orders issued in 2007 against the illegal extension of the existing building.

The premises of the Birgu Regatta club include facilities for the storage of boats, a snack bar with outside seating and a large canopy. Boxall’s application also proposes the regularisation of illegally constructed rooms at ground level. An application to sanction these rooms was refused in 2008.

The Planning Directorate had called  on MEPA to refuse the development, and agreed with the Cultural Heritage Panel that these rooms should be removed.

The Directorate also criticised the design, noting that an open staircase will be seen from across the creek.

When contacted two weeks ago, Boxall told MaltaToday that the council wants to upgrade existing facilities and make the area more attractive for both locals and visitors.

When asked about the impact of the additional height on the historical landscape  Boxall said: “We will surely not create a monstrosity like the new apartments [on the waterfront].”

Asked about pending illegalities on the site, Boxall replied that the aim is to abide by planning regulations and to ensure that all development is regularised. “We will follow any directives given by MEPA,” Boxall said.