Developers association president adds extra floor to Gzira block

Sean Montebello - 09. April. 2024

Aqra dan l-artiklu bil-Malti.

The president of the Malta Developers Association, Michael Stivala, has added an extra floor to a prominent multi-storey office block overlooking The Strand promenade in Gżira.

The Planning Authority approved the construction of the block in 2018, with plans showing a total of ten storeys. However, satellite imagery and online advertisements show that an additional storey has been constructed and is being rented out as office space.

While it is unclear whether the extra floor was constructed alongside the rest of the building or was a later addition, online advertising for the space was first published in November 2022.

When contacted over the phone, Stivala claimed no knowledge of any illegalities, directing further questions to his email address. The questions sent to that address remain unanswered at the time of publishing despite repeated reminders.

A Planning Authority application for the ST Business Centre was approved in October 2016, with slight alterations permitted in July 2018.

A side-by-side comparison of the office block with its approved plans shows an additional storey.

The latest available plans for the building (PA3319/18) show nine floors (ten storeys), with the uppermost level recessed from the building’s facade, which is required by planning policies to minimise visual impact from the street level.

Yet, while plans for the roof only show the building’s services (air conditioning units, etc.), additional office space was built around them.

Online advertisements for the “Level 11” offices claim it has an area of around 180 square metres. It is being offered at €160 daily, some €4,500 per month.

Online listings advertising the eleventh-storey office space at €160 per day.

The Shift has previously reported on Stivala’s interests along Triq ix-Xatt, the stretch of road between Gżira and Sliema, known as The Strand promenade.

The area has been the target of dozens of applications for permission to extend commercial premises onto public pavements, a large number of which were submitted by Stivala.

The approved applications all relate to outdoor areas serving the Stivala Group’s various business interests in the area, including the Bayview Hotel and the Sliema Hotel.