SCH ‘deliberately attempting to misdirect public’ - FAA

A heritage NGO has accused the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) of attempting to “misdirect and confuse the public” in response to a statement yesterday about the Santa Verna temple site in Gozo.

On Wednesday, SCH insisted that no construction works are being carried out within the Santa Verna Temple buffer zone or Area of Archaeological Importance in Xagħra, Gozo, and denied claims it is failing to protect the area. 

The superintendence was responding to accusations from NGO Flimkien Għal-Ambjent (FAA) that the site, a treasure trove of historical remains, was under assault by relentless development.

But on Thursday, FAA hit back at SCH, noting that while it was “technically correct” that no works were ongoing within the buffer zone, “our concerns are not solely focused on the scheduled buffer zone”.

The group said it was also concerned with nearby areas of “immense archaeological value” where “significant findings” including skeletons and pottery potentially predating the Għar Dalam period – more than 7,000 years old – “have been found scattered on bulldozed piles outside the buffer zone”.

“The recent statement... while attempting to reassure the public, unfortunately highlights a critical misunderstanding and, indeed, a failure in effective heritage protection... [and] while technically correct, appears to be a deliberate attempt to misdirect and confuse the public”, it said.

The NGO said the superintendence acknowledgement of discoveries made within rationalisation zones such as Ta’ Lablab “paradoxically confirms our fears”.

“While they state that recovered material is transferred to their laboratory, this approach completely overlooks a fundamental principle of archaeological best practice: in-situ preservation”, FAA said.

The group stressed it was important the discoveries not be transferred elsewhere but instead examined on site to determine their precise age.

“Removing artifacts from their context, even for laboratory study, represents an irreparable loss of crucial information about the site's history and its relationship to the surrounding landscape.”

The NGO said superindence assurances it was closely monitoring the site “appear to be ineffective in preventing ongoing destruction”, pointing to residents reporting the discovery of human skulls.

Meanwhile, its response to criticisms about a planning application to develop stables nearby was “equally concerning”, the group said, describing SCH assertions the site was outside the area of archeological importance as a “narrow and ultimately damaging interpretation of ‘protection’”, pointing to third-party reports of megalithic remains.

“This approach paints a grim picture for Malta's prehistoric heritage, risking the permanent erasure of irreplaceable segments of our past due to ongoing development and insufficient protection measures,” said FAA.

The NGO reiterated its calls for works in the vicinity of the Santa Verna site to be “immediately halted” pending further study of the area.