The environmental organisation Wirt Ghawdex said, with regard to the building permits issued for the construction of a villa in the vicinity of the Xaghra Stone Circle, in Gozo, that “it is very much preoccupied, that notwithstanding the Malta Environment and Planning Authority’s condition that construction works on such a sensitive site are to be monitored by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, this would be very difficult to be enforced in actual practice.”

The reason, the organisation said, is that the Superintendence has no permanent representative in Gozo yet, and therefore Wirt Ghawdex feels it may be very difficult to supervise such works continuously, with the possibility that any archaeological finds will be completely destroyed.