Five-storey block looms over Ġgantija temples in Gozo

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar has objected to an application by developer Emmanuel Farrugia for a five-storey, 31-apartment block replacing an old building and surrounding field in the vicinity of the megalithic Ġgantija temples.

The site along Triq Parsott is just 150 away from the UNESCO World Heritage site, also a Site of Archaeological Importance.

FAA said the development will not only destroy a characteristic Gozitan vernacular building but also impinge on the integrity of the Urban Conservation Area of Xagħra.

“It will have an irreversible negative impact on cultural heritage by replacing the existing vernacular building with a structure that is totally incongruent in style and massing with surroundings, while also obliterating an agricultural field,” the NGO said.

The property in question is over a century old, and comprises traditional structural features, including original arches and ceilings borne on beams.

FAA objected to the proposed building’s design and its “pseudo-grandiose ground floor with its Baroque-style portals and pilastered corners”, which it said are discordant with the modern fenestration of the proposed upper floors.

The development will also create a blank party wall on the Ġgantija side of this building, which will be discordant with other residences within its traditional setting.

FAA pointed out that the building height limitation is the permitted maximum and not an automatic right for the developers. “Developments in scheduled sites or areas may be subject to specific conservation policies and therefore may not be permitted to reach the maximum building height limitation indicated.”

The PA has already received more than 40 objections to this application.