A 200-year-old farmhouse belonging to the family that gave Fgura its name is set to be demolished after an appeal by the local council was thrown out. 

The Environmental Planning Review Tribunal on Thursday confirmed the Planning Authority's decision to grant permission for demolition. 

It is the last remaining link to the Ficura family, which gave the locality its name, and was stripped of its basic protection status 18 months after a planning tribunal ruled that it didn’t have any significance to the town’s identity. 

Applicant Trevor Buttigieg is seeking to demolish the existing building and raise the security perimeter wall.

The EPRT confirmed the Planning Authority's decision to grant permission and that no sound planning justifications merited the request for appeal. 

Additionally, the PA argued that the local council had filed the appeal 35 days after the decision notice of the original application was published in the Government Gazette, a week too late for the appeal to be accepted. 

In a statement, Fgura Local Council said it would continue to fight to protect the farmhouse from demolition. 

“This decision will not stop the council, who has been fighting for 25 years to conserve this farmhouse for its rich history and ties to the locality’s origins.”

The farmhouse was granted Grade 3 scheduling by the Planning Authority in 1995 and consists of several vernacular features, including stone slabs and corbels. 

These were the basis on which attempts to have the building de-scheduled in 2009, 2011 and 2015 were refused.