Five early 20^th century Sliema townhouses could be demolished as a development application to build six-storey apartment blocks has been filed.

Heritage NGO Din l-Art Helwa has raised the alarm against this proposal, saying it would not only ruin the traditional townscape of Sliema, but a part of vernacular heritage will be lost forever if the application is green lit. The NGO has also argued that this application disregards Urban Conservation Area policies, pertaining to special architectural or historically interesting areas.

The five townhouses, which are situated in Depiro Street, stretch across 70m of the street and feature traditional Maltese architecture, donning wooden doors and balconies, coloured glass windows and wrought iron fanlights, especially typical to Sliema.

If this application does go through, it could pave the way for the obliteration of such traditional architecture and characteristics that are in dire need of preservation.

What do you think of the application?