There is disagreement over what to do with the remains of a Roman-era olive press found on a plot of land in Mġarr that is soon to become a building site.

The local council is campaigning to move the ‘anchor block’ , which once formed part of the mechanism of the press, to another location where it could be appreciated by the public rather than be concealed within the development.

But the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage is opposed to the move, saying this is not the best way to preserve archaeological features.

The block of stone, which was once placed into a socket cut within the rock bed, was discovered during works on the site in Triq Sir Temi Zammit, currently an undeveloped plot of land.

The Planning Authority issued a permit (PA8930/20) to Noel Vella last November for the construction of two garages, three apartments and a penthouse on four levels on the plot.

The plot is located within the scheduled area of archaeological importance for Mġarr and Żebbiegħ, which was established to provide protection to two UNESCO World Heritage sites – Ta’ Ħaġrat and Skorba temples – as well as a number of classical period sites.

The area of importance was extended in 2014 to include, among others, the zone within which the plot is located.

Mġarr mayor Paul Vella told Times of Malta that the council had spoken to the superintendence and insisted that the stone should be removed and taken to a site within the same locality where cart ruts have already been found and preserved.

However, he said the superintendence had not agreed with placing the anchor block somewhere else.

In reply to questions, a spokesperson for the superintendence said that following an archaeological evaluation, it had been ascertained that the remains were part of an oil pressing facility in use during the Roman period.

However, she insisted that its removal “is not the best practice for the safeguarding of cultural heritage features” and should remain on site.

“The superintendence is in discussion with the architect and applicant so as to amend the development such that all features are retained [on site] and covered by a number of manholes, rather than being completely re-buried as per standard practice,” she said. 

In a works method statement submitted to the PA, the developer’s architect, Mattea Zahra, explained that revised plans had been submitted to eliminate the need for excavation for garages. Instead, the garages would remain at street level.

However, the architect also proposed that the anchor block ought to be removed by lifting it with a crane equipped with clipper ends.