[WATCH] ‘They want to eradicate my roots’ – Qrendi poet rues demolition of farmhouse

Antoine Cassar, an outspoken poet living next door to one of Qrendi’s oldest farmhouses, is ruing plans that will replace the building with a five-storey block.

“They will be eradicating the roots of my family; five generations of them... if they approve this,” he says of his fear that his childhood memories will be wiped off by a developer’s whims and the Planning Authority’s say-so.

Known for his civic activism on both migration and environmental issues, Cassar was awarded the National Book Prize in 2018 for Erbgħin Jum (Forty Days) and was later short-listed for the European Poet of Freedom award. In Passaport, Cassar pens a protest poem denouncing the absurdity and cruelty of borders. And in his booklet Nannu and Nanna, dedicated to the memory of his grandparents Wiġi and Pawla, the cover shows his 82-year-old grandfather with his cousin, right next to the fabled Qrendi farmhouse while his uncle can be seen picking onions.

Cassar’s family live in a house build by his grandad next to the farmhouse which was reappropriated by its owners in 2000. Now he fears the effects of the proposed excavations of three basement levels right next to his present family’s home.

An old photo of the Cassar family (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

But to the poet, this is not simply a case of nimbyism. “The protection of the environment is central to my literary activism,” he says of the farmhouse, which at just 80 metres from the parish church, is an integral part of the entire village’s collective memory.

Speaking next to the farmhouse, Cassar says he is flooded by sensory memories which evoke the sounds and smells of his childhood, underlining the importance of protecting old buildings as depositories of historical memory. Now he hopes the authorities will schedule the building, as was the case with another farmhouse a short distance away, to ensure this historical memory is not eradicated.

The 19th century farmhouse in Qrendi could be replaced by a five-storey block (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

“I was going to explode in anger when I was informed of the permit application… I was flabbergasted at the application for the demolition of an alleged ‘damaged building’ instead of calling it a farmhouse. That’s manipulative.”

Cassar feels development cannot be excluded due to the building being within the development zone. “If they build a two-storey development while keeping the farmhouse intact, I would consider that a good compromise… but surely not a five-storey development.”

In his booklet Nannu and Nanna, dedicated to the memory of his grandparents Wiġi and Pawla, the cover shows his 82-year-old grandfather with his cousin, right next to the fabled Qrendi farmhouse while his uncle can be seen picking onions (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

Cassar welcomed the objection presented by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage which not only wants the farmhouse protected for its “significant cultural heritage value” but called for any development around it to be “sensible” and respectful of the Urban Conservation Area.

900 objections presented

Nearly 900 objections have been presented against the demolition of the old 19th century farmhouse.

These included Din l-Art Ħelwa, which is arguing that the proposal is in breach of a specific policy included in Development Control Policy P6 which refers to development carried out in the immediate vicinity of the UCA.

Antoine Cassar and James Debono walk through one of the fields which could be developed (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

The policy states that any development approved in these areas should “not be higher than the height of the predominant buildings located within the stretch of the perimeter bloc” which in this case is equivalent to two floors.

Several residents also expressed concern on increased traffic problems opposite the locality’s primary school, near the development; while most objectors, many of which from Qrendi, expressed their outrage at the loss of their locality’s identity arguing that the project is “disproportionate to our village’s landscape.”

Qrendi mayor asks questions, but does not object

The Qrendi local council has not objected to the demolition of the farmhouse, but its mayor David Schembri has sent a representation consisting of five questions addressed to the Planning Authority.

In his representation sent on 10 June, the mayor asked whether a Storm Water Management plan had been presented; whether an impact assessment and a traffic management plan are being requested; whether a waste management collection scheme is being considered; and finally whether the developers will be making a financial contribution to the Qrendi council as part of the Urban Improvement Fund.

The Qrendi church lies just a few meters from the 19th century farmhouse pictured in the foreground (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

Contacted by MaltaToday and asked why he was not objecting to the demolition of the farmhouse, Schembri insisted that he disagrees with five-storey developments in localities like Qrendi, noting that this is not the only case of such developments in the village.

Schembri also insisted that one should have solid grounds to object with, and from what he has seen the development is line with existing policies. “Surely, I would be pleased if the development is not approved as it would cause me a big headache, especially with regards to traffic management. But our objections have to be based on solid planning grounds… I have asked those objecting to the development to provide such grounds and not generic statements.”

He also pointed out that the council still has to meet after the local elections, and had no chance to discuss this issue, which coincided with the electoral campaign. He said he had informed councillors that they are free to present their objections to the project.

But Schembri also downplayed the architectural merits of the farmhouse, noting that it had endured major damage due to the intrusion of water and has been left in a dilapidated state for a long time. “This building has been left to deteriorate for quite some time… Why has this building become so important suddenly?” he asked.

According to the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage, the property, which surely predates 1911 when it was recorded in a survey sheet, appears to be one of the oldest rural structures leading into the village core and towards the parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The building, described as a “damaged residence” in the planning application presented by applicant Darren Ciantar, is deemed to have significant vernacular and cultural heritage value by the cultural heritage authority.

The building is constructed using traditional techniques and materials, including franka stone masonry and double-skinned walls.

The façade elevation also features two remissa entrances, one of which is currently blocked.

“Given the significant vernacular and cultural heritage value of the existing property, the proposed demolition is not deemed acceptable from a cultural heritage point of view,” the SCH concluded in a report on the proposed development.

Resident organisation disappointed by mayor’s stance

In reaction to the mayor’s comments to MaltaToday that there are no solid planning grounds to object to the proposed development, the Għaqda Residenti tal-Qrendi expressed its disappointment.

“Instead of objecting to the proposed development, in his representation to the Planning Authority the mayor has simply sent five questions and went as far as saying that there are no solid grounds based on planning law to object.”

The organisation rebutted this by referring to a specific planning policy which preclude five storey blocks adjacent to the Urban Conservation Area.

It also contrasted this with the firm stance taken by the mayor which it had supported against the development of a tarmac plant which incidentally was located 500 meters away from another apartment block which is under construction by the same developer proposing the five-storey block instead of the farmhouse in Qrendi.