Updated November 16 with PA statement

The eNGOs defending the historical setting of Xagħra’s Ta’ Kola windmill at the Planning Authority were dismayed to witness a repeat of the ‘develop at all costs’ approach that the politicians profess to be turning their backs on, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar claimed on Friday.

“Instead, the Planning Authority is still loyal to developers, while the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has performed one of its increasingly frequent U-turns,” it said.

FAA said the SCH initially notes its proximity to the Grade 1 Mithna Ta' Kola, with the site lying within the Ġgantija Area of Archaeological Importance.

“Any development that may eventually be approved at this location is not to negatively impact the perception of the scheduled windmill or Ġgantija,” the SCH had said.

However, just seven months later, the SCH declared: “The photomontages do not indicate that the proposed development will have a significant impact on the perception of the scheduled windmill.” FAA said this statement overlooked the fact that the photomontages failed to show the unsightly three-storey blank party wall that this development will create. Blank party walls are not permitted in urban conservation areas as they violate the structure plan, the NGO said.

It said that when the objectors quoted examples of nearby applications that had been refused, they were silenced by the chairman, who repeatedly defended the application, ignoring every policy infringement.

The NGO said that in the application to build a block of 24 apartments overlooking Ġgantija World Heritage Site, which generated 1,800 objections, the superintendence had originally commented about the significant impact on existing views and vistas as seen from Ġgantija. It had demanded that the uppermost floor be removed from the proposal.

The site of the proposed development within the Ġgantija Area of Archaeological Importance. Photo: FAA

However, with the reduction of just one apartment, the superintendence wrote that the changes had “adequately addressed the concerns” of its previous objection.

As this site is located at a bottleneck in this village lane, the traffic to be generated by this project, will also undermine the residential amenity of this once-peaceful hamlet on the edge of Xagħra, objectors said.

The project will destroy a beautifully-intact vernacular building which heritage protection policies would normally call to be preserved, not destroyed for a block of flats that is totally unsuited to the edge of the Ġgantija buffer zone, FAA added.

This lone structure will block the green corridor that connects the Ġgantija park to its ODZ context, and being on the side of a ridge edge, it will create blank party walls which will ruin the character of the place, it said.

FAA noted how the Planning Authority announced two weeks ago the preservation of a Cospicua Baroque house but it was now recommending the destruction of Gozo’s vernacular architecture.

“Was the Bormla scheduling a flash in the pan because no developer is interested in it, while our very own identity is to be betrayed and destroyed for thirty pieces of silver?” FAA asked.

PA: Chairman never tried to defend application

In a statement, the PA said it was not true that the Planning Board chairman tried to "silence" objectors to the Xagħra development. 

"At no point did the chairman’ silence objectors’ or try defending application PA5562/21," the PA said. 

"Inversely, following several points raised by the objectors on the case, the Board requested further information and therefore deferred the case," the PA added.