Ta’ Rita Restaurant’s Plan To Become A Three-Floor Guesthouse Runs Into Some Trouble
Ta’ Rita, one of the most famous traditional Maltese food restaurants on the island, could be in for some major changes as its owners seek to convert it into a three-floor guesthouse and eatery.
However, this proposal has run foul of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, who has warned the development could have a detrimental effect on Għar Lapsi.
In objections filed to the Planning Authority, the Superintendence said the project could result in the “intensification of development within a Natura 2000 site, as well as impacting on the existing cultural and natural landscape”.
Photo: Ta' Rita Restaurant
As reported by the Times of Malta this morning, the heritage watchdog said that the restaurant’s location at the top of the slipway and the proposed increase in height makes the proposed development objectionable in principle.
Ta’ Rita opened its doors back in the 1930s as a bar for the Royal British Marines and was extended into a restaurant in 1966. Over the years, it has become one of the most famous Maltese food restaurants on the island and is particularly renowned for its rabbit.
The proposal would convert the building into a three-floor guesthouse complex, including a restaurant, an outdoor pool, underground parking, a scuba diving shop, a multipurpose hall and a play area.
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