The Gabriel Caruana Foundation has expressed 'great concern' over proposals for an eight-storey care home for the elderly just 12 metres away from the Grade I listed Ta’ Ganu windmill, in Birkirkara.

Also known as the Mill – Art, Culture and Crafts Centre, the windmill has been home to the foundation for over 30 years.

Highlighting the “visual, physical, contextual, social, environmental impacts of unsustainable development”, the foundation noted in a statement that the cultural centre has been home to “hundreds of Maltese and international artists” over the last three decades.

“The windmill and its surroundings need to be protected and enhanced for future generations, for the community of Birkirkara, the artistic community and the public at large,” it said.

The proposed development by Bonnici Textiles Ltd includes the demolition of a three-storey shop on Naxxar Road opposite the mill and excavation to build the eight-storey care home.

The development will include “four levels of basement and overlying eight floors to house guest rooms and associated amenities”. The plans also include a separate commercial showroom on the same road.

Bottom: An image taken from the Planning Authority website showing the height of the proposed development.

Repercussions

The foundation’s curator, Elyse Tonna, called attention to the height of the proposed development when compared to the two-storey arts centre and noted the possible repercussions of the proposal on other developments planned in the area.

“For the artistic community, the mill holds a very significant place,” she continued, adding that the environmental impacts of the development, including the effect of pollutants created by the planned construction, remain unclear.

Originally built in 1724 by the Knights of Saint John, the site operated until 1929 when the introduction of steam-powered mills across Malta rendered traditional windmills obsolete.

The mid 1980s saw a government-funded restoration of the building following decades of dereliction, after which a tender was issued to turn the site into a cultural centre. This was won by artist Gabriel Caruana, with the mill opening to the public in June 1990.

In 2012, the site was listed as a Grade 1 scheduled building, the highest level of protection afforded by law.

Caruana was a sculptor, painter and ceramicist known in Malta and internationally for his highly individual works infusing contemporary design with a distinctively Maltese aesthetic.

He was the recipient of numerous awards.