Military barracks to be demolished to make way for Hal Ferh resort

The Wirt Artna report is quoted by the developers of the Hal Ferh project to justfy the removal of the existing structures to make way for low density and landscaped development in the area.

The project is being proposed by Winston J. Zahra on behalf of The Heavenly Collection Co. Ltd which is a joint venture between Island Hotels Group Holdings plc and Mayfair Overseas Holdings.  The land was handed over to the group after a public tender was issued.

A development brief setting guidelines for the development in 2008 states that even though the former military buildings are currently not scheduled, they are deemed to have historical merit and their retention and rehabilitation is strongly encouraged.

“The military structures were used for tourism accommodation when the Hal-Ferh Complex was still operational and therefore these types of buildings could imaginatively be successfully integrated with the rest of the project,” the brief states.

But in a project development statement (PDS) the developers cite a Heritage Value report prepared by Heritage NGO Wirt Artna which favours the demolition of the barracks.

According to the report the retention of rows of redundant military buildings which, through the years have been readapted with rather poor results, is  not merited. 

The report recommends that upon demolition the materials are “salvaged to restore other buildings of historic and architectural interest of the same period elsewhere on the island”.

On the other hand  the chapel at Hal Ferh and the upper barracks which are described as the “best examples of military architecture in the area” fall outside  the development footprint.

The developers are also committed to rehabilitate, the former military chapel.

According to the PDS the use of the place as a tourist accommodation was always hampered by the need to use the military barracks which were  never suited to the purpose for which it was used.

“The refurbishing of the ex-military barracks presented a constraint rather than an opportunity.  The removal of these existing structures would result in an invaluable opportunity to design holistically and to allow un-constrained and architectural innovation with a pronounced regard to environmental sustainability”.

The existing military barracks are arranged in regular, narrowly spaced rows.

These were deemed  ill-suited for tourist accommodation, in which light and privacy are of paramount importance.

The Ghajn Tuffieha Military Camp dates back to the  late 19th century. By 1910, a formal military camp was in place consisting of timber ’Crimea Huts’ which were later replaced with more permanent masonry replacements, including as the camp chapel which was completed in 1916.

Throughout the immediate post-war years up to the late 1960s, the Ghajn Tuffieha Camp represented one of the busiest spots on the island for military training for both British and NATO forces.

In the late 1970s the lower camp was converted into the Hal Ferh tourism

accommodation complex. In order to convert the functional, pragmatic and starkly military appearance of the buildings into something more suitable for touristic purposes,  additional arches and redecoration took place. Internally, the barracks were fully redecorated and refitted. Notwithstanding, these alternations the overall result was still fairly stark in appearance and remains so.

Less is more

In fact environmental sustainability is one of the project’s key characteristics.

In contrast to residential developments which seek to maximize the number of apartments and rooms, the low density  project motif is “Less is More.”

The development will cater for a high-end market and in contrast to the high rise 5 star hotels in Malta it will be a low density boutique, exclusive and private resort, unlike the high rise type 5* hotels already existing in Malta.

“The high level of quality and the environmental consciousness that this scheme seeks

to achieve is felt to be unparalleled on the island and its 6 star approach aims to set new standards in the local tourist industry, as well as catering to a different industry niche than is currently served on the island”.

One of the aims of the project is that of reducing carbon footprint to an

absolute minimum

In terms of environmental impact, the development footprint encompasses only land which has accommodated development for at least the past 100 years.  No previously undeveloped land will be used.

While the standard room size for a five star hotel in Malta is approximately 35m², the average size of room in this project will exceed 110m². Similarly, this project will have 80% of the land devoted to landscaping.

A small watercourse used to traverse the site from the southeast to the northwest, where it drained into the sea at Golden Bay, but it has been interrupted by the developments on site. In its place there is now a tarmacked internal road. As a result of the development, the applicant intends to reinstate this watercourse, and thus rehabilitate this important environmental aspect of the site.