St Paul Bay’s residents flag loss of heritage, urban congestion in objections to proposed hotel

Objections from St Paul Bay residents against a proposed eight-storey hotel on the site of the former HSBC outlet on Triq San Pawl have been pouring in, citing the loss of the building’s modernist heritage and the increased congestion and density the proposed development would create.

“The scale and nature of this proposal are totally unacceptable in this area. The site is located on a narrow street within a well-established residential neighbourhood that already experiences persistent traffic congestion, severe lack of parking, excessive noise, and ongoing pressure on local infrastructure,” one resident noted in their objection.

“A development of this size would significantly aggravate these existing problems and would have a detrimental impact on the day-to-day living conditions of neighbouring residents, many of whom are elderly and have been part of the community for many years.”

While a case officer has yet to issue a recommendation for approval or refusal, the building’s architectural value and residents’ concerns that increased activity from the proposed hotel would make living in the crowded, busy area even more chaotic than it already is.

The planning application proposes the construction of a three-star hotel with three basement floors, reception lobby and restaurant on the ground floor, 75 rooms, ancillary facilities on the upper eight floors, and a pool bar on the roof.

According to the Planning Authority’s (PA) public documents, the applicant is a freelance project manager named Bradley Vella. The architect is Peter Zammit, director of Innovative Architectural Solutions (iAS). Another director from this firm was also one of the members of the Steering Committee, which had greenlit the hospitals scandal.

Further analysis of the other public documents on the PA’s website shows that correspondence from the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), which needs to issue approvals for commercial developments of this kind, was addressed to a company named Mirlu Properties Ltd, which is owned by Azzopardi Group’s holdings company.

While Vella formally declared that he is the sole owner of the site and that the applicant involved is not a company, Azzopardi Group has refused to answer The Shift’s questions about its involvement in the development.

Azzopardi Group, which originally made its fortune through one of its companies, Azzopardi Fisheries, is now a diverse business conglomerate spanning multiple sectors, including fish farming, food distribution, retail supermarkets, and several major property development projects, such as Fort Cambridge, of which it owns 75%.

St Paul Bay’s residents have been at loggerheads with the Group for years over its massive fish farming operations and the slime that often leaks from its farms near Sikka l-Bajda, located a few kilometres north of Selmun.

Despite the near-annual spikes of public outrage over fish farm pollution, Azzopardi Fisheries and its industry associates continue to operate with impunity and full government support, including through generous allocations of public land for the expansion of their operations.

The Shift is further informed that St Paul Bay’s local council has mixed opinions about the development. When reached for comment, Mayor Ċensu Galea confirmed that the council will discuss the matter on 19 February.