Updated 9.45am with comment by Superintendence of Cultural Heritage

Heritage Malta has joined the chorus of concern about the “very close proximity” of a proposed development to Gozo’s Ġgantija Temples as the sale of the apartment block already starts to be advertised.

The starting price of the contentious shell-form apartments, with a view onto the world’s oldest free-standing building, is €135,000.

And, even before they have a Planning Authority permit, their completion date is scheduled for December 2022, according to a real estate Facebook page.

The proposed block of 31 apartments lies not much farther than a stone’s throw from Gozo’s most precious archaeological site.

Meanwhile, UNESCO has been alerted to the proposed development close to the World Heritage Site – approximately 175 metres away – and said it would be reviewing the matter.

The Xagħra local council has submitted its objection to the project, following a unanimous decision taken also on the basis of worries that it lies within Ġgantija’s archaeological buffer zone.

The application for the apartment block, which Heritage Malta described as “disproportionate to and overpowering the neighbouring dwellings on the same street”, requires an area of 1,100 square metres of excavation for the construction of 20 basement-level garages, it noted.

The national agency for museums and cultural heritage also told Times of Malta it strongly objects to any form of rock cutting at the Xagħra site.

“This runs counter to the top priority conservation criteria applicable to sites within the scheduled AAI of Class A monuments,” Heritage Malta, which manages Ġgantija, one of its most visited archaeological gems., said.

The proposed 31 apartments will be within an area of high archaeological sensitivity, located within the Ġgantija Temples buffer zone and approved by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage property’s protection, it pointed out.

“Any adverse effects caused to the buffer zone of the site will reflect negatively on the outstanding universal value of all the megalithic sites of Malta under the same listing, including Tarxien, Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, Skorba and Ta’ Ħaġrat.”

Monstrosity threatens visitors’ enjoyment of the prehistoric area

Heritage Malta CEO Noel Zammit said the findings of geophysical surveys, carried out in the area by a multinational archaeological team, stated that the olive grove within the Ġgantija archaeological park contains evidence of additional megalithic structures.  The findings came through the FRAGSUS project and were recently published in Temple places: excavating cultural sustainability in prehistoric Malta.

They provide important insights into the nature of the environs of the main temple structure, Zammit said, adding that the park’s boundaries lie a mere 15 metres away from the proposed development.

Referring to the demolition of the existing building of vernacular interest at Ġgantija Heights, Zammit said the block that would be constructed instead of it was of considerable height and mass.

“Heritage Malta strongly suggests that the applicant, at least, submits photomontages from indicated points within the Ġgantija Temples archaeological park,” he said.

These were important to assess the impact of the development on the skyline and to present viewpoints from the site to show “the potential cumulative effect created by the considerable massing of the proposed building”.

Heritage Malta has been in discussion with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage over the case since mid-February, has passed on its recommendations and will be discussing any further considerations through the usual formal channels, he added.

'Views to and from Ggantija should be preserved'

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has also voiced concern and said it was formally objecting to the development.

In a Facebook post on Friday it said it was concerned about "the intensity" of the proposed development in a semi-rural area and in the context of a world heritage site.  

"The superintendence has formally objected to the total demolition of the existing building and to the overall height as currently proposed.  

"The superintendence also reiterates that views and vistas to and from Ggantija are to be preserved and enhanced and no rock cutting is acceptable.

"This position is in line with commitments given to UNESCO in 2014 to limit the impact of development by avoiding irreversible changes to the landscape, within the buffer zones of the Megalithic Temples of Malta UNESCO World Heritage Sites."

'Apartment proposal beyond shocking’

Joining the fight against the development are a host of heritage NGOs, including Wirt Għawdex and Flimkien Għal-Ambjent Aħjar, as well as archaeologists from Malta-Arch.

The archaeologists said it was “beyond shocking” that any developer would have the audacity to make that proposal.

“Such a monstrosity threatens both visitors’ enjoyment of the prehistoric area and obstructs archaeological research into the civilisation that erected these magnificent edifices,” the Malta-Arch NGO said.   

“Although the land managed by Heritage Malta itself may remain untouched, its archaeology extends well beyond those boundaries. The ill-conceived construction threatens valuable archaeological data contained within the ground and would severely alter the skyscape around the temples.

“Important information regarding Ġgantija’s larger archaeological context would also be much reduced, as would the opportunity to discover new knowledge about Neolithic settlements.”

Caroline Malone, the leader of the FRAGSUS project that investigated Late Neolithic archaeological data in Xagħra said: “This narrow lane is wholly unsuitable for largescale development; road access is already compromised and dangerous. No amount of archaeological recording or intervention can mitigate the loss.”

Another archaeologist, Isabelle Vella Gregory, said in an objection to the PA that the project has an impact on the wider archaeological landscape, extending beyond the immediate temple and into the threatened area.

The NGO urged “everyone with a conscience” to file an objection with the Planning Authority as soon as possible.  

The closing date for objections is today and representation forms are doing the rounds as people rally to protect the 5,000-year-old temples.