Activists urge Planning Authority to reject Salina development

Environmental activists on Saturday urged the Planning Authority to turn down an application for development in Salina, warning it would result in the “irreversible destruction of documented archaeological remains”, in breach of the Planning Authority’s constitutional and legal obligations

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA), together with residents of Salina, detailed its objection to Planning Application PA/00680/26 on the site at Triq il-Barrakki tal-Melħ.

The application, submitted by Richard Camilleri, proposes the excavation of the vacant site on Triq il-Kappella tal-Lunzjata and Triq il-Barrakki tal-Melh, including the construction of a basement garage, maisonette and three overlying apartments. The application is currently awaiting a recommendation.

While the site lies within the development zone, it contains various archaeological features.

The FAA insisted the PA “must refuse” the application, formally schedule and protect the site and ensure the preservation of the Roman catacombs and associated remains.

“Illegality does not become legal through repetition,” the organisation said. “The law must be applied correctly and without exception.”

The site of the proposed development. Photo: PA

Speaking on behalf of FAA, environment officer Benjamin Mifsud Scicluna said that official investigations conducted by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage between 2012 and 2014 confirmed the presence of four sets of Late Prehistoric cart ruts, extensive Roman quarrying, the foundations of a rectangular structure, a stone-lined water channel, and the entrance to a Roman catacomb.

“These remains are documented and verified in official reports,” Mifsud Scicluna said.

FAA warned that any excavation involving basements of deep foundations would “physically destroy the remains and potentially destabilise the Roman catacombs, constituting a breach of both constitutional and statutory obligations.”

Under Article 9 of the Constitution of Malta, the State has a duty to safeguard the nation’s historical heritage. In addition, Article 48(1) of the Cultural Heritage Act (Chapter 445) provides automatic protection to all archaeological remains, whether scheduled or not.

Reference was also made to planning policies ARC 1 and ARC 2, which require strict protection of sites of archaeological importance.

FAA argued that approving this application would contradict established policy, breach heritage law, and expose the State to legal challenge.

Doreen Gatt, a Salina resident, described the locality as one of the few remaining areas where open spaces and heritage still coexist. She highlighted the area’s historical layers, ranging from Bronze Age cart ruts to Roman catacombs and quarrying remains, as well as later landmarks such as the Sucursu Canal, the salt pans, and the Ximenes Redoubt.

She reminded the Planning Authority that previous applications in the same area had been refused due to archaeological findings and called for consistency in the application of the law.