The Planning Commission has postponed its final decision on development application PA/00570/21 on Ggantija Heights, Triq il-Parsott, Xaghra Gozo.

In a statement, the Commission said that the chairperson has requested that the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) present its correspondence with the UNESCO World Heritage Sites authorities, confirming that there was no objection to this project which lies in the proximity of the Ggantija Temples.

Last year FAA voiced its concerns over the proposed project for a 5-storey block of 31 apartments overlooking the Ggantija UNESCO World Heritage Site.

FAA stressed that this proposed planning application “not only destroys this traditional Gozitan house but also destroys the heritage value of this UCA streetscape and will have a great impact on the temple, the scheduled windmill, and on the village of Xaghra itself.”

It added that “the site footprint is located within the Site of Archaeological Importance of the megalithic temple site of Ggantija, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consequently, views and vistas from and towards Ggantija are to be preserved and enhanced.”

Also last year, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage raised concerns over the proposed development in Triq Parsott Xaghra, within the Ggantija Area of Archaeological Importance and within 15m of the Ggantija Neolithic Temples World Heritage Site.

The Superintendence said that it is “concerned about the intensity of development being proposed in a semi-rural area and in the context of a World Heritage Site.”

It said that “in this respect, the Superintendence has formally objected to the total demolition of the existing building and to the overall height as currently proposed.”

The Superintendence also reiterated that “views and vistas to and from Ggantija are to be preserved and enhanced and no rock cutting is acceptable.”

Permalink: Ggantija area development decision postponed by PA