<a href='https://ads.independent.com.mt/www/delivery/ck.php?n=afef72b0&cb=250' target='_blank'><img data-src='https://ads.independent.com.mt/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=22&cb=250&n=afef72b0' border='0' alt='' /></a>The Planning Authority has refused a controversial application to convert the historic Palazzo tat-Tabib Maempel in Qormi into a boutique hotel, after the developer failed to submit revised plans addressing planning policy concerns raised by the Planning Commission. Although the proposal had initially been recommended for approval by the Planning Authority's Development Management Directorate, the Planning Commission deferred its decision earlier this month after questioning whether the project complied with policies protecting gardens and open spaces within Urban Conservation Areas (UCAs). Rather than deciding the application on 9 July, the commission directed the applicant to submit revised plans significantly reducing the scale of the development. The refusal reflects the conclusions reached by the Planning Authority's case officer following the commission's earlier directions. The decision represents a significant reversal from the Planning Authority's original recommendation, which had concluded that the project complied with planning policies and would promote the conservation and adaptive reuse of the historic palazzo.