Marsaxlokk residents have insisted that plans to relocate a historic barumbara (pigeon loft) to make way for a road should be dropped.
In a statement, Marsaxlokk Heritage, an NGO dedicated to the preservation of the locality's cultural, historical, and environmental legacy, said it strongly opposed the proposed dismantling and relocation of the rural structure, which was originally a watchtower and was more recently described as a barumbara.
The planning proposal, PA/01640/20, submitted by Marsaxlokk local council, would see the structure making way for a new road linking Triq Lepanto and Triq il-Kavallerizza.
Marsaxlokk Heritage has long opposed the plans, saying the building should be restored and given a higher level of protection.
The council had originally proposed relocating it to an ODZ site 70 metres away. The Planning Commission had suspended the application, saying the council should amend its plans and move the tower only a few metres away from the original site.
The Commission was heeding the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage’s advice, which emphasized the historical significance of the structure, adding that it should remain in its current location.
“The Superintendence strongly recommends that the Barumbara is only relocated to the northeast of the site along the same field boundary wall/ridge at the interface with Triq tax-Xerriek," the authority said in its consultation on the development.
The new, amended plans follow that recommendation.
However, Marsaxlokk Heritage reiterated its opposition both to dismantling the building and the building of the new road.
“The proposed relocation threatens the integrity of the barumbara, a structure of cultural and historical importance to Marsaxlokk. Moving it from its original site undermines its historical value and context,” the NGO said.
“Marsaxlokk Heritage advocates for the designation of the watchtower as a Grade 2 protected structure to preserve its legacy in situ.”
It said that the area is also known to have wartime underground shelters, and an archaeological study to uncover remains should be conducted.
The NGO said that a new road would “cut through pristine agricultural land, raising serious concerns about environmental degradation.”