Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) is appealing to the public to object to what it describes as the latest “planning heresy” in Gozo – a 5-storey block of 31 apartments overlooking the Ggantija UNESCO World Heritage Site in Xaghra, Gozo – PA00570/21 [1]. The closing date for representations is the 5th of March.
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.
FAA said that the proposal will have an irreversible negative impact on cultural heritage due to the “the replacement of this building with a structure that is totally incongruent in style and massing will result in further demolitions and replacement by inappropriate buildings in the area.”
The pseudo-grandiose ground floor with its Baroque-style portals and pilastered corners is discordant with the the upper floors, it said.
The eNGO argued that “together with the massiveness of the block of 31 apartments and blank party wall, it is totally out of context with the flanking residences within its traditional setting.”
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.”
FAA stated that, “the application will have an unacceptable detrimental impact on cultural heritage due to increased height disrupting traditional proportions and the scale of the protected Urban Conservation Area streetscape as well as loss of agricultural land that forms part of the Rural Safeguard Area.”
Given the above, FAA said that, “the application runs counter to SPED objective: T.0.8.7 – To safeguard and enhance biodiversity, cultural heritage, geology and geomorphology by Controlling activities which might have an impact on areas, buildings, structures, sites, spaces and species with a general presumption against the demolition of scheduled and vernacular buildings.”
3 Comments To "FAA appeals for public to object to Xaghra 5-storey apartment block"
#1 Comment By Dietmar Treptow On March 3, 2021 @ 3:56 pm
Is there a Need ( people the rent or buy this) to build this house or is it just another future empty property !
And old houses like this can not touched . It is a part of HISTORY !!!
#2 Comment By Robert Adey On March 3, 2021 @ 7:05 pm
Is Govt so fast asleep. For the sake of a quick return now the future of the island is in danger. Do you think tourists will continue to visit to see new build apartment blocks that have destroyed the culture and beauty they want to enjoy?
#3 Comment By Slide On March 4, 2021 @ 11:18 am
Gozo will start to see less and less tourists with concrete everywhere and the past year was just for starters. The real problem is that these buildings are built by foreign cheap labour and sold to rich foreign people . So only the developer and the government really make money not local people. Gozo needs infrastructure not monster ugly buildings.