PA gives green light to ‘sold’ Għargħur townhouse project

The Planning Authority has approved the partial demolition of a historical farmhouse in Għargħur’s Urban Conservation Area (UCA), despite years of objections from residents and opposition from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.

Yesterday, the Planning Commission granted permission for the applicant, Matthew Navarro, to demolish parts of the old structure and construct two new houses in its place. The approved plans also include recessed pools and garages at basement level.

The development lies within the UCA and partly outside the development zone.

The commission chairperson explained the reasoning for granting permission. “The studies that needed to happen happened, it reduced from four houses to two, it is within the development zone, what is worth retaining is going to be retained. Approved.”

The development has been the subject of controversy since 2023, when Navarro attracted criticism for claiming on social media that he had already sold two of the houses before any building permits had been issued.

At the time, architect and Għargħur resident Patrick Calleja said the developer was behaving as if the permit were a “foregone conclusion”. Two years later, the conclusion was made in the developers’ favour. 

Yesterday, Calleja again spoke out during the Planning Commission’s meeting, warning the board that by approving the application, “You are changing the visual identity of the village.”

He noted that the site lies within a UCA, an area specifically designated to protect architectural heritage. “This lies within the UCA, which exists to protect places like this.”

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) opposed the development, stating that it would result in the “extensive demolition” of vernacular architecture and “intensive redevelopment”.

The SCH also cited a 1902 Ordinance Survey, highlighting the long-standing historical presence of the farmhouse in the area. 

The case officer, however, argued that the development would not result in a complete loss of historic features. Traditional elements such as kileb (corbels), mwiżeb (waterspouts), mxatar (stone mangers) and xorok (stone roof slabs) would be carefully dismantled and reinstated within one of the new houses. 

More than 1,300 people signed a petition against the proposed development. 

The farmhouse sits in a small centuries-old piazza along Triq Fidiel Zarb, which enjoys open views of the surrounding countryside.

One objector at the site visit warned the project would “ruin the character of the village”, adding, “Not only are we losing another special place, but we are also losing a beautiful and unique view of the sea and Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, to now just looking at a building that could be anywhere else in Malta.”

Other residents raised concerns about the development’s effect on nearby farmland. Times of Malta previously spoke to 66-year-old farmer Joe Debono, who said the project threatens to erase not just a historic building but “a way of life passed down through generations”.

However, architect Maria Schembri Grima, who designed the project and previously chaired the Building and Construction Authority, said that an agreement exists with the farmers.

She told the commission, “I believe this is the best we could do for this unit.”