The Old Casino Gibraltar
As many Gibraltarians will recall, in its heyday, the old casino – originally known as the “International Sporting Club Casino”- once formed an integral part of the community. A destination for high society and special occasions, many hold fond memories of New Year’s Eve celebrations and other equally special events at this once magnificent venue.
Planning permission for the casino was originally granted to a syndicate of London Businessmen in 1959, but it was another 5 years before German entrepreneur Herman Heymann finally opened the original, smaller establishment in 1964. It was subsequently extended to accommodate a larger bingo hall and over the years, changed hands between Stakis, Ladbrokes, Hilton Hotels and finally Gala. Gala operated the casino until it finally closed its doors in 2007, having been forced to vacate the building due to dangerously deteriorated structural steel supports, which were beyond economic repair. Gala, or Casino Admiral as it is now known, has enjoyed year on year growth since relocating to a more commercially accessible location in Ocean Village.
Since Gala’s withdrawal, the building has laid unoccupied for some years and due to the decaying steel supports, has been gradually falling apart as consultation over its proposed redevelopment has taken shape. Over time the natural process of decay and gradual demolition of certain unsafe sections has revealed some rather alarming construction techniques. Steelwork support pads were missing throughout, salt water pipes were laid next to structural steel which led to further degradation and beer bottles were used to pad out some of the concrete floor areas, yes – beer bottles! We have a collection of these bottles from the 1960’s which literally came out of the floor which they were part of.
The structural remains of what is left are unsafe. A recent seismic shock, albeit a weak one, even resulted in the collapse of some small parts. This building, which is less than 60 years old probably no longer offers any value to Gibraltar and is generally accepted to be a condemned eyesore. To some the old casino building may be a building of its era and valuable. We learnt however from our extensive consultation, that most consultees valued the old water tanks which are hidden below the semi-derelict old casino building rather than the old casino building itself.
We accept that something needs to be done. There have been many parties to consult with and through the reviewing of many alternatives we have tried to identify an outcome which was acceptable and would gain support. We believe this was time well spent and will deliver something spectacular and special back to this otherwise wonderful setting.
Image of the casino then…
The Derelict Casino as it looks today…
The Historic Water Tanks – Hidden From Sight
Beneath the casino lies something quite extraordinary. Originally conceived by William Scamp of the British Admiralty in 1846 and commenced in late 1855, two enormous 10m high water tanks were constructed, with capacity to hold around 3 million gallons of fresh rainwater. The limestone ashlar for the tanks was quarried using convict labour from Europa Point, shipped by sea to the dockyard, cut, carved and then transported to the site of the tanks. In just three months that year, almost 2,000ft of arch stone had been carved for the tank, The South tank, the first to be constructed, does not appear to have been completed until c.1865, having been under construction for approximately 10 years. The north tank, designed by Edward Roberts, was erected after the south tank by the Sanitary Commissioners of Gibraltar sometime between 1866-8.
The north tank is currently operated by AquaGib, on behalf of HM Government of Gibraltar, whilst the Ministry Of Defence remains custodian of the south tank. Both tanks are currently used for salt water storage. The photographs below demonstrate the sheer scale of these magnificent limestone and brick vaulted caverns. We believe that there is no question that they possess heritage value and as developers and long-term investors in Gibraltar, we have become convinced that we should endeavor to protect and preserve these tanks (rather than adopt the normal approach which is to argue that for economic reasons they need to be demolished). The Planning Application we are making involves taking considerable economic risk on our part, as the costs are not fully known yet of what we propose, which is to develop a new building which will bridge over the tanks, beneath it. In doing so we preserve, protect and enhance the structural integrity and access areas of the tanks, allowing everyone to recognize and celebrate their heritage value into the future.
The grand water tanks that have been hidden for all these years are revealed below…
Photos courtesy of Victor Hermida, Gibraltar Heritage Trust
Potential Future Uses of The Tanks
The new building will have a design life of well over 150 years and during this time, it is quite feasible that, one or both tanks could be decommissioned, offering countless, imaginative opportunities to open the tanks for the benefit of the Gibraltar community. Of course, this is not a decision for us to take, but one which will be decided in decades to come; but nevertheless, we gained advice from historians of what post-industrial uses other tanks had been put to and include some below:
The Rubble Bund Wall that currently hides the original wall and tanks from view
Recognising the strategic importance of the water tanks at Europa Road, in May 1879 an order was made to place a rubble bund in front of the western wall of the water tanks in order to protect them from incoming artillery shells. The rubble bund which ranged in height from 11-24ft, was not made from the same limestone ashlar blockwork as that of the tanks. For speed, and probably cost reasons, a concrete wall was erected and the void between this and the existing grand limestone water tank wall was filled with rubble and soil to form a bund. This concrete wall was then faced with concrete tiles containing limestone chip inclusions in an attempt to resemble that of the grand limestone tank walls. Consequently it took only 12 months to erect the entire rubble bund wall.
Some of the rubble bund wall still stands today. However there is clear evidence that numerous deconstruction and re-build adaptations have been made over the years to make way for Europa Road, the regrading of Engineer Road and various upgrades to services (which we presume include water and electricity and telecoms etc). The extent of the interference with the ‘as built’ bund wall is observed in the photographs below. This clearly demonstrates how this particular wall has been repaired, disassembled and remodeled with new pastiche materials on an ad hoc basis, over the years.
Deconstruction And Rebuilds Of The Rubble Bund Wall Explained:
(this is from photos of the southern end, other photos of the northern end show similar rebuilds):
Contents Of The Rubble Bund Wall Explained (Test Pit Photos):
The rubble bund wall no longer stands in its original state and we believe this fact, coupled with the low value materials (note the attached test pit photograph demonstrating the rubble-filled contents) have no material historical value; more rather, the poor quality of the rubble bund wall is beginning to cause structural concerns with long cracks and failings in various areas.
“A section of the blast wall has been removed and rebuilt in the past…”
Extracted from ERM’s Cultural Heritage Comprehensive Desk-Based Assessment 2017
Europa Road – restricted vision at the road intersection is a danger to pedestrians and road users
As we all know, the population of Gibraltar has grown exponentially since the erection of the tanks and continues to do so today. Recent census reports suggest a 10% increase every decade. With a total land area of only 5.8km2 and limited unbuilt space, there are restricted options to provide the homes that families and individuals living in Gibraltar need; the most feasible of these options are to build out (reclamation) or build up. A previous Outline Planning Permission which was granted included reference to the need to improve road safety. The extensive consultations revealed concerns about road safety for pedestrians and car users at the road intersection. Many tourists seek to explore on foot and schoolchildren make their way home from Loreto School. The absence of a pavement along many parts of this road contributes massively to pedestrian risk and the existence of the rubble bund wall restricts the sight line when turning into Europa Road from Engineer Road. This would not be allowed if it were built today as such a restricted sight line is dangerous, and we have been advised of accidents and several near misses specifically at this junction. Hence why consultees advised that an improvement to safety for pedestrians and car users was required.
Creation of Landscaped Pedestrian Pavement
It is not currently possible to build a pavement outside the old casino site, there is simply no space on the East side of Europa Road between the road and the bund wall, whilst the West Side of the road has a restricted pavement. However, the removal of the rubble bund wall that covers the original grand limestone wall provides a solution to many issues, including this. As demonstrated above, removal along this rubble bund wall (which will be at our expense) serves a number of purposes, all of which present advantageous benefits to the local community:
- also slightly widening the road for motorists,
- Improving sight lines and road safety for traffic joining Europa Road from Engineer Road and also from Green Lane.
- The revealing of the original 1855 grand limestone ashlar wall of the water tanks
- Allowing the structural integrity of the heritage tanks to be protected through bridging over them with custom designed steel trusses (which do not rely on support from the heritage tanks at all – unlike the existing casino building which relies on the heritage tanks for part of its support), instead being supported through sockets directly into the rock to the East and structural columns to the West, which are to be in place of the bund rubble wall.
- Future Proofing of the heritage tanks, through provision of the landscaped pavement, which will serve as an accessway should the tanks be fully decommissioned in decades to come. This will unlock access to the front of the tanks and therefore the opportunity for the Gibraltar community to learn from, fully appreciate and enjoy the heritage assets for generations to come.
The Development
Our Proposed Plans – Showing How the Project Will be Built Over The Protected Tanks…
Outline Planning Permission for a residential development on the old casino site was granted by the Development and Planning Commission back in 2007, and later renewed until expiring in July 2014.
At this point in time, the planning permission that we had been granted was for the partial demolition (the top arches) of the two salt water tanks below the old casino and for the piling of foundations through the tanks to support the new residential building’s structure, above. Following successful granting of this planning application, a lot of work went into negotiating with relevant parties to move the development forward, however we were not able to do this in the timescale available to us within our planning consent.
We opened consultations based on 10 alternatives, which ranged from keeping all of the heritage tanks to demolishing all of them and various middle positions between these two extremes. In doing so we indicated that we might be the first developer to take the financial risk to undertake the substantial cost of massive structural support which would be required to build over the heritage tanks, thereby allowing them to be preserved. We have not been able to get a ‘fixed price’ for such massive engineering work as there are many unknowns, such as how difficult will it be to drill the proposed sockets into the rock to hold the many custom-built steel trusses. We knew we would be taking a risk. Our willingness to consider preserving and protecting the tanks, rather than use the normal developer argument “for economic reasons the heritage item must be demolished / removed” was clear.
In 2016, HM Government of Gibraltar committed in an open statement that the two tanks should be retained in the future development of the site, citing the heritage credentials of the two tanks. As such, we’ve spent over two years consulting with the many stakeholders regarding alternate plans and feasibility assessments to work out how we can progress development, whilst improving the sight lines for traffic, improving the safety for pedestrians, improving the safety of those who need to enter into the tanks as part of their current use as salt water tanks, future-proofing access to the tanks from the front for the day (if ever) when they cease to be used as salt water tanks and more.
Of course, having acquired the site some years ago, we have continued to debate, deliberate, argue and toil over the most appropriate and responsible approach to returning this building back to its former glory, considering concerns from all of the stakeholders involved. Following the decision by Government in 2016, we are committed to protecting the historical value of the tanks that lie beneath, mitigating the visual impact of any development from the Alameda Gardens and also respecting the environmental significance of the surrounding Gibraltar Nature Reserve, whilst overcoming the considerable challenges the site presents in general.
As some have said, we are between a rock and a hard place (!).
We have a long track record in integrating heritage with development, having successfully regenerated Lord Napier Mews on Rogers Road, The Old Bank in Cannon Lane and also Heritage House, in Main Street. It’s only when you appreciate the benefits that heritage assets bring that you start to realise how important they are when integrated in any development. So, we began working out how best to integrate, enhance and celebrate these heritage benefits within our proposals.
We feel very passionately about this site – it deserves to be celebrated for what it used to represent and in terms of the tanks, safeguarded for future generations to learn about and to enjoy.
Following years of consultation with engineering and architectural experts, we believe we have finally cracked it! Collectively, we have designed The Reserve; what we believe is immensely attractive, pleasing residential homes that not only preserve these stunning water tanks, but also by opening up the front allow numerous possibilities so that they may be accessible and used by future generations. The organic shape of the development is unique to Gibraltar, and we feel, sympathetic to the contours of the surrounding natural environment.
We respect the location by heavily coating the design with green walls, green roofs and green separations between homes; all of which have been carefully considered in a landscaping strategy, to ensure they can be maintained via the building’s service charge into the future.
Our focus has been to provide high quality homes for the Gibraltar community who wish to live in a safe surrounding with spectacular views. Of the 128 families who have registered an interest in The Reserve, 118 are, judging from their surnames, local Gibraltarians and the majority of those have visited our office and examined with great detail the plans. These families refer to their memories of having New Year’s Eve Balls there, or holding Weddings, or other special events there and they remember the stunning panoramic views. They are interested in their family home having those same views and great facilities, all within walking distance of the town.
Here we reveal our proposal on how we wish to take this magnificent site back to its former glory:
The Derelict Casino as it looks today…
Introducing Our Vision For the Future…
