Developers planning 15-storey replacement for Jerma Hotel

The developers of the former Jerma Hotel, in Marsascala, have justified their proposed 15-storey apartment and hotel development by arguing that a lower profile would have taken up too much space.

A project description statement published on behalf of developers Porto Notos Ltd states that alternative designs for the project had focused on medium-rise buildings taking up a significant portion of the peninsula. 

“The original proposals respected the medium-rise policy that is applicable to Marsascala but the scale of the project was too large and created no public open space,” the developers said.

Marsascala is not one of the locations designated for high-rise buildings under the floor area ratio policy.

The developers are attempting to circumvent this restriction by basing their application on a different policy, which allows existing hotels to extend two floors over and above the local plan height limitation.

They acknowledge that the building’s height could negatively impact long-important long-distance views, particularly given the presence of the historic St Thomas Tower and nearby residences but they argue that the existing derelict hotel poses a similar hindrance.

The...