Cracks have begun to appear in a historic 17th-century chapel in Mosta, prompting the Church to blame the Planning Authority for the damage after it approved a nearby development.

The chapel dedicated to St Andrew, built in about 1657 to serve local farming communities, is just four metres away from a new development that was given a planning permit despite concerns about the effect the works could have on the stability of the ancient chapel. The project, in Tal-Qares Street, had been recommended for refusal by the PA’s case officer.

The Church had formally objected to the development.

A terraced house is to be demolished to make way for a basement level garage and two maisonettes at ground floor level, four three-bedroomed apartments on the first and second floors and a duplex four bedroomed penthouse with pool at the top.

But just weeks after excavation works began around the site, cracks have appeared in the walls of the chapel, which now risks sustaining permanent damage, according to residents.

When contacted about the damage, the Archdiocese’s administrative secretary, Michael Pace Ross, said that the writing was on the wall. “The Archdiocese has done all it could to restrict development which would have a detrimental effect on the chapel. We even objected formally to the proposed development. This was all in vain. Since the relevant authorities have now approved the works which are causing this damage, they are the ones who would have to be held responsible for the chapel’s deterioration.”  NGOs Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar and Din l-Art Ħelwa have also warned that the development will seriously prejudice the historic chapel.

In a report on the project for the Mosta parish, under which the chapel falls, architect Vince Buhagiar warned that, even using latest cutting technology, “structural movement will inevitably occur”. At five floors, the new building would certainly dominate the chapel and further diminish the already subdued space around it, he wrote.

In contrast, Prof. Buhagiar cited Santa Margherita Chapel in Mosta where a surrounding green area had been delineated for non-development, enhancing the architectural quality of the chapel. The chapel to St Andrew received a major overhaul in 2002 through funding from the Restoration Unit.