Britannia flats Sliema to add six storeys — fafner

Fafner Investment Ltd has submitted a full development application to add six new storeys on top of Britannia Flats, the standalone four-storey residential block on Tower Road, Sliema. The building, which dates to the early 20th century, faces Tower Road on one side and the narrow Trejqet Luzju on the other and is considered one of the few intact seafront structures to have survived Sliema's development activity over the past four decades.

The proposal would create 10 new apartments spread across five additional storeys and a penthouse level above the existing building. The existing façade of Britannia Flats would be retained, but the structure would rise to match the height of neighbouring blocks fronting Tower Road. An outline permit – PA 682/22 – was issued in 2024, approving the development in principle.

Internal layout, design and external appearance were left as reserved matters for the full application stage. That outline permit carried a condition excluding any balcony projections beyond the building line on Trejqet Luzju, a restriction introduced following privacy concerns raised by residents on that street. The case officer had originally recommended refusing the outline application on health and sanitary grounds, citing the excessive height of the proposed extension relative to the narrow alley.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage also initially objected, arguing that the extension did not complement what it described as the 'building rhythm' of the original structure. The Superintendence later withdrew its objection after revised plans were submitted incorporating design modifications.

Residents appealed the outline permit before the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal, arguing that the approved development did not respect the height-to-width ratio for the building's elevation on Trejqet Luzju. In April 2025, the tribunal added a new generic condition stating that 'the height of the development should respect the surrounding context.' It also ruled that any decision on height and massing was premature at outline permit stage, leaving open the possibility that the full application could deviate from local height limitations.

The tribunal cited a regulation permitting such deviations where justified by site context. The applicable height limits for the site are 35.5 metres on Tower Road and 29 metres on Trejqet Luzju. The current full application plans do not foresee changes from those approved at outline stage and include no balconies facing Trejqet Luzju.

No Planning Authority board hearing date for the full application has been announced.