Four-storey block will create blank party wall over Ta’ Ħaġrat

The demolition of a two-storey building in Mgarr could lead to a four-storey block with a blank party wall overhanging the World Heritage Site of Ta’ Ħaġrat in Mġarr.

The proposed development on Triq Santa Marija by J&J Gauci Developments is located within the Area of Archaeological Importance, just 22m from the temples. No excavations are being proposed.

But photomontages requested by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage seem to confirm that the development will have a marked visual impact when seen from the temples, due to the creation of a large blank party wall overlooking the temples.

Although the development conforms to existing policies which allow 16.3m-high development in the area, new guidelines introduced in 2020 require developers to assess the impact of their proposals on nearby historical monuments at an early stage, through the submission of photomontages showing the impact on the surrounding streetscape.

The Superintendence is still assessing the photomontages submitted a week ago, but had previously called for a downscaling of the project so as not to impact on views and vistas as seen from Ta’ Ħaġrat.