FAA files urgent request for scheduling of Sliema house

Environmental NGO Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) has formally submitted a request for the scheduling of a row of stately houses in Cathedral Street that form part of the Urban Conservation Area of Sliema, the NGO said in a statement

Number 33, located right at the heart of these properties (photo), is facing an effective death sentence as there is currently a pending application to have it transformed into an apartment block. If approved, this application will not only lead to the direct loss of the heritage building itself, but will make way for the complete ruin of the equally valuable properties in its immediate surroundings, together attribut- ing to street’s rich architectural and historical past, the NGO said.

FAA said it had previously requested an Emergency Conservation Order for the same site. This was never acknowledged or acted upon.

FAA are calling on the Planning Authority to take the necessary steps to preserve these heritage houses and safeguard the urban core of Sliema.

PA statement

The Planning Authority confirmed that it was in the process of assessing a number of properties around the locality of Sliema which merit scheduling.

“The process for their scheduling involves detailed consul- tation with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. To minimise the risk of any possible attempt to damage the properties, it is standard practice for the authority to disclose the address of the properties only after they are officially scheduled, as required by law. The law also obliges the Planning Authority to publish the scheduling in the Government Gazette and to inform any one of the known owners about the scheduling. They then have 30 days from receipt of the notification, or where unknown to fix a site notice.

“The authority uses the planning tool of scheduling to legally protect properties which are deemed to contain heritage significance. The full list of properties which are scheduled may be viewed from the online register that the authority has on its website www.pa.org.mt.”