The Żebbuġ local council and the superintendence of cultural heritage (SCH) are objecting to a proposed apartment block planned just metres away from the town’s urban conservation area (UCA), warning that the development would harm a historic garden and the surrounding townscape.
The proposal, PA 6394/25 submitted by Pillar Properties Ltd, concerns the demolition of a terraced house on Triq il-Prof. Daniel Callus to make way for a new apartment block. While the site lies within the development zone, it is located just six metres from the UCA boundary and directly abuts a historic formal garden that forms part of a UCA-designated property.
Żebbuġ mayor Steve Zammit Lupi said the site’s location required a sensitive design approach that provides an “adequate transition” between the proposed development and the historic gardens and conservation area.
The council stressed that development in such a location must comply with Policy P6 of the Development Control Policy, Guidance and Standards (DC15), which seeks to ensure that new buildings do not visually dominate streetscapes or spaces within the UCA.
It noted that, where development adjoins gardens within the UCA, policy requires not only a minimum setback of three metres but also a building height that is appropriate in relation to the garden wall and surrounding context.
The proposed building profile, Zammit Lupi added, must also respect Urban Objective 2.4 of the Strategic Plan for Environment and Development (SPED), which aims to safeguard the skyline and character of historic cores and their settings.
Separate but similar objections were also raised by the superintendence of cultural heritage.
In its assessment, the SCH acknowledged that the existing property does not have sufficient intrinsic or collective value to warrant preservation and said it was not opposed in principle to the site’s redevelopment.
However, it raised serious concerns about the scale and design of the proposed development, given its immediate adjacency to a historic garden and its proximity to the UCA.
The watchdog described the adjoining garden as a significant historic feature, noting that it includes formal pathways, high boundary walls adorned with balustrades and ornamental elements.
The SCH said the introduction of blank walls overlooking the garden would create an overbearing sense of mass and disrupt the transition between the development zone and the conservation area. It objected to the proposal on cultural heritage grounds, emphasising that the adjoining garden should effectively be treated as a UCA-designated feature.
The SCH stressed that development adjoining gardens in the UCA must be of an appropriate height in relation to the garden wall and set back by a minimum distance of three metres. It concluded that the current proposal failed to meet these requirements.
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