PA approves scaled-down Excelsior extension in Floriana

Malta's Planning Authority board voted nine to two on Thursday to grant a development permit for an extension to the Grand Hotel Excelsior in Floriana, approving an application submitted in 2018. The permit was originally filed by Stewart William Elliott, a Hong Kong energy magnate who died in 2024 and whose family now owns the hotel.

The scheme has been scaled down significantly: the original proposal included conference halls and eight floors; the approved plan is a single extension block of six floors, kept below the level of Great Siege Road. The hotel sits on government land held under temporary emphyteusis. The current building dates to 2007, replacing a 1960s hotel that occupied ground formerly used as cemeteries damaged during World War II.

Construction of that first hotel required breaching the Knights-era fortifications surrounding Valletta—a decision controversial enough to prompt the founding of heritage NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa. Din l-Art Ħelwa was among the principal objectors on Thursday. Executive president architect Patrick Calleja asked the board to postpone the decision, citing a live UNESCO process: Malta has proposed extending the existing 'City of Valletta' World Heritage Site designation to encompass the wider Knights-era fortifications.

The NGO argued the authority should wait to see how that assessment unfolds before approving further development. Architect Edward Said, founder of Friends of Villa Frere, also objected. He told the board the hotel represents the only breach in roughly two kilometres of fortifications and is widely regarded as one of the ugliest buildings in its surroundings.

"Saying let's forget the past and keep adding to the mistake is very absurd," Said, countering the applicants' representative who urged: "Let's not let the past affect our decision today." Heritage consultants preparing the impact assessment assured the board that approving the permit would not damage Malta's UNESCO bid. The applicants' representative said the scaled-down design incorporated feedback from all consulting bodies, including the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.

Board chairman Emanuel Camilleri supported the decision to issue the permit. Two members dissented. NGO representative Romano Cassar argued the hotel should never have been built and the board should refuse to worsen the situation.

Conservation architect Hermann Bonnici said the extension would create "visual clutter" and degrade an important view of the Valletta fortifications.