The Planning Authority has thrown out an application for the development of six townhouses at a 400-year-old garden in the heart of Lija.
The decision was taken following a storm of objections over plans to demolish the large garden on the corner of Triq Annibale Preca in Lija and Triq Sant’Antnin in Balzan.
The application would have seen the excavation of the 17th-century garden measuring around 920 square metres, including protected citrus trees and garden rubble walls, to create eight basement garages and six two-storey houses with swimming pools.
All of the proposed dwellings are four-bedroom units, having a gross floor area exceeding 200 square metres. Alterations to the existing townhouse, which includes baroque-period architectural features, were also mentioned in the application.
The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage vehemently opposed the project, saying that the site was an established garden forming part of a property “of evident architectural and historical value”. Moreover, it said, the property was located within the urban conservation area and was in the vicinity of San Anton Palace, which was a scheduled property.
World War II shelters were also recorded in…
