Joe Debono has spent most of his 66 years tending to a Għargħur farm that has been in his family for three generations.

But his way of life could soon be lost to a controversial housing development in the town’s valley.

“My grandfather began leasing this place before passing it on to my mother, father and uncle,” he told Times of Malta.

“Now it’s me and my two brothers who work the land. In total, I think it has been in the family for 150 years.”

The farmer spends most of his day tending to the land, growing potatoes, onions, broad beans, and garlic.

“I come every day at 7am, work until 11am, go home to eat some bread, and then come back,” he said.

“This is how I spend my life – not to make a profit but as a way to pass the time and to grow food for myself and the family.”

Besides the arable land, the property includes an old farmhouse that the superintendence of cultural heritage describes as being of “evident antiquity”.

‘This is how I spend my life—not to make a profit, but as a way to pass the time’.

A townhouse threat

A planning application to partially demolish the old farmhouse and build a row of houses with pools and basement garages could now upend Debono’s life.

The plans, filed by Matthew Navarro of Nava Group, would mean that the agricultural land that Debono’s family has tilled for so many years could also be lost to the four townhouses planned for the area.

Nava Group has reportedly already sold two of the proposed townhouses on plan, out of the four houses it intends to build.

It seems that eventually, I will be forced to leave

Debono fears that having to leave his beloved home could mean the start of a slow death.

“I am angry because it seems that eventually, I will be forced to leave, and then there will be nothing else to do but die slowly at the pjazza,” he said.

“If the Lord allows, I want to spend the rest of my life here,” Debono told Times of Malta, on the farm. Debono was speaking after a Planning Authority visit to the site.

The inspection followed objections from the superintendent of cultural heritage, who argued that the proposal conflicts with preservation principles.

During the PA site visit, Għargħur residents greeted members of the Planning Commission and expressed their opposition to the development plans.

The heritage watchdog said the site is of “evident antiquity,” pointing to the style of the building, the technique of its construction, and the 1902 Ordnance Survey sheet as evidence of how long it had been there.

The planned development site is within the urban conservation area and partly outside the development zone.

During Wednesday’s site visit, Għargħur residents greeted members of the Planning Commission and expressed their opposition to the development plans.

Patrick Calleja, a resident and architect, said the value of the Dejma area of Għargħur will be severely damaged if the planned development goes ahead.

He said residents in the area have had to obey conditions when planning minor changes to their property, “and now, all of a sudden, there’s an application to build four houses”, he said.