Birgu Fortification Walls ‘At Risk Of Being Damaged Beyond Repair’, Cottonera Residents Warn
A controversial development application in Birgu that had been turned down has returned with an appeal – and local residents aren’t happy about it.
According to Cottonera resident groups, Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura, Cottonera PA Watch and the Vittoriosa Historical and Cultural Society, the application is proposing an additional two floors as well as more work at basement level with the excavation of a 3-metre-deep reservoir to an existing two-storey house there.
“Given the renewal of the application and the appeal of the revocation by the applicant, we are calling on the Planning Authority to safeguard the Belvedere and the fortifications and to prevent that Birgu’s only public open space and an iconic part of its history are damaged beyond repair,” a spokesperson for the groups told Lovin Malta.
“Denying the open views the site offers to both residents and tourists who visit all year round goes against SPED (2015) policies. Public open spaces, especially those with iconic historical import, should be protected at all costs and enjoyed by the public,” they continued.
The two-storey house currently sits on the fortification wall commonly known as ‘Is-Sur Tat-Toqba’ and at the foot of the Birgu Belvedere, known to locals as ‘Is-Simenta’.
The Belvedere is the only open public space in densely populated Birgu, with spectacular views spanning from Bighi Hospital to Saint Barbara Bastions in Valletta, and Fort St Angelo to its left.
Should the application be approved in its current form, activists are saying that Bighi will be obliterated from view.
And besides the viewpoint issue, residents are also concerned about the excavation works. The works are taking place literally centimetres away from the fortification wall.
The excavation works had commenced despite an ongoing revocation process of the permit which was previously granted and only stopped days before the public hearing for the revocation. The revocation was unanimously approved by the PA Board but is now being appealed by the applicant.
And this is not the first application saga to endanger the Belvedere.
A few years ago, a controversial permit for a kiosk was revoked after residents objected vehemently. Back then the Birgu Local Council eventually withdrew its recommendation for the kiosk. The residents welcome the Local Council’s objection in the current Belvedere case, which was uploaded on the PA site today.
Representations against this development are accepted until January 13th.