Changes will also be made to the existing third floor, adding a pool and an extra room on the roof. 

A similar application submitted in 2018 was already withdrawn by the same applicant and architect, Jacques Cassar and Edwin Mintoff, after the PA’s case officers recommended the project for refusal. 

It has already received its fair share of objections, with local residents warning that it could forever alter the skyline of the area and was not in keeping with Valletta’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage City. 

“Palazzo Perellos is an outstanding and well-preserved example of the palatial houses of the 17th and 18th centuries, and which is worthy of Grade 1 Scheduling, and should therefore be treated as such,” one objection reads.

“A question arises: Should such works be permitted in a baroque premises?” asked another. 

The application also comes amid concerns over Malta’s oversupply of hotels, with studies suggesting that the country would need five million tourists per year to sustain them if all proposed hotels are built.

Palazzo Perellos was first built by Ramon Perellos y Roccaful, the 64th Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta

However, it also has a haunted past according to legend. 

When Malta was under British rule, two sailors met a beautiful woman who asked them to accompany her back home. Upon their arrival she asked them to help her open the door as she had forgotten the key inside. They eventually managed to get it open and helped the kind woman into her beautifully ornate home.

The following day, when they returned to pick up a silver cigarette case one of the sailors had forgotten, they found the entire house in ruins. Neighbours claimed that the house had been abandoned for decades, but many claim they can occasionally see a light flickering inside.

What do you think of the plans?