An eight-floor hotel abutting the St Julian’s Urban Conservation Area had to be downscaled to a five-storey guesthouse and had a 19th-century building integrated into the project before it could get the approval of the Planning Authority.
The development will see the demolition of a number of buildings on Triq is-Sorijiet and stands approximately 60 metres away from a cluster of Grade 2 dwellings and just 13 metres away from protected air raid shelters.
The planning watchdog noted the strong objections from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, which insisted that the 19th-century house earmarked for demolition together with adjacent properties, including a garage and a cellar, ought to be protected.