Application to demolish Strickland House, construction of apartments to be decided on Thursday – Malta Independent Online

A planning application proposing the demolition of the iconic Strickland House and the proposed construction of two garage levels, entering from St Ursola Street, 42 apartments and one house on five floors and one receded floor is set to be decided on Thursday.

Strickland House used to be the home of the Times of Malta in Valletta. The building in question has a main frontage on Triq San Pawl, with secondary frontages on Triq Melita and Triq Sant' Orsla. This area is designated as an Urban Conservation Area and Valletta is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site. The existing building is an early 1980s construction, replacing the previous building which was ravaged by a damaging fire in the late 1970s, the case officers report read.

The case officer, in his report, notes that both internally and externally the building in question has no special architectural features, its elevations having no UCA characteristics. As noted by Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the building does not have value that would warrant its preservation in its entirety. The original building on Triq Sant Orsla is being retained and integrated into the development.

The main entrance to the apartment building will be from St Pauls Street. The site comprises an area of approximately 1,505 m.

A justification for the proposal (residences only) was submitted by the architect. In his submission, the architect argued that although recently, many boutique hotels have been built and are being built in Valletta, there are very few high-end apartments due to the limited opportunities in the area. The nature of the buildings in the city makes it very difficult to have a full renovation job done on the premises. The architect argued that the site provides a unique opportunity for a proposal which will not only target a much-needed niche market for the area, but also upgrade the streetscape of one of the main entrances into Valletta, the case officers report read.

The Planning Directorate said that it is inclined to agree with this argument and is of the opinion that the proposed residential is the least intrusive option and would improve the overall character of the area, as well as boost the residential use of the city. It would also give a new use to what is currently an abandoned building of considerable size.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage advised that the development as proposed has undergone considerable amendment and evolution since the first proposal, as advised by the Superintendence.

Having reviewed the latest drawings and documents as received, it appears that issues and concerns as raised by the Superintendence have been addressed. Nevertheless, in keeping with its role as a regulatory entity and in view of the UNESCO World Heritage status of Valletta, the Superintendence has brought this application and the proposed development to the attention of Malta's UNESCO World Heritage Technical Committee, seeking it comments and recommendations on the proposed development. At the time of writing, the Superintendence has received no response or comment from the Technical Committee as this is awaiting re-appointment.

The case officer has recommended that the project be refused, stating that , among other things, the proposal does not comply with the provisions of the Development Planning (Health and Sanitary) Regulations, 2016. Every dwelling except the corner dwellings with a depth of more than 15m require a backyard in line with the laws. The internal yards are not in line with the laws either, the case officer said.

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Application to demolish Strickland House, construction of apartments to be decided on Thursday - Malta Independent Online