The Phoenicia Hotel, one of Malta’s oldest tourism properties, has been given planning permission by the MEPA board to develop additional bedrooms to the hotel while carrying out restoration and rehabilitation works to the nearby stables. This planning permission also allows that works to be carried out to upgrade the existing hotel, its surrounding grounds and the area of St. John’s Ditch.
The Board agreed that the proposed changes to the rooftop level of the hotel is sure to significantly improve the overall aesthetic design of the existing hotel. The major work attributed with this project will be the construction of two wings on each of the two main sides of the hotel and the restoration and adaptation of the stables in St James Ditch to accommodate a total addition of 82 new guest bedrooms. The project also includes the restoration of the façade and landscaping works at St John’s Ditch. Given that the project cannot provide sufficient parking spaces, the Board imposed that the hotel owner pays over €109,000 to the Commuter Parking Payment Scheme (CPPS). The CPPS was initiated by MEPA in 1994 to allow developers who are unable to provide the required parking facilities for their projects, to contribute towards a fund that would later be used to finance the construction of car parks and the provision of facilities related to the local public transport infrastructure.
The Phoenicia Hotel was built partly on the place-of-arms just outside Valletta’s Main Gate and forming part of the City’s fortified landfront. Plans on building the Phoenicia Hotel commenced in 1935 under the watchful eye of Architect William Bryce Binnie. During the Second World War, the site was hit by enemy action with major damage being caused to the east section of the building. The hotel was officially opened in 1947.
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