Noel Grima

It is not another of the many ‘developments’ trying to attract residents to Gozo. On the contrary, it is a project that aims to enhance one’s experience of Gozo as a rural community, an eco-island.

The Hal Saghtrija development near Zebbug consists of 15 tumoli, but only two will be built upon. The rest will be left as natural as possible, so that the residents of the 75 apartments in the complex will experience the richness and the life-enhancing values of the traditional rural Gozitan way of life.

The Gozo experience will, of course, include country and sea views. The complex is to the left of Zebbug church, so looks towards Wied il-Ghasri and the Gurdan lighthouse, rather than in the direction of Marsalforn.

All 75 apartments come finished to the highest degree of craftsmanship, carried out by the developers themselves (Menfi Ltd) and are ready for the furniture to the customer’s liking, with garage space for every resident.

Next to the residence there will be a pool in three sections – a sandy beach, a Jacuzzi and a children’s pool – which are chlorine-free as they will be cleaned by a natural system, a first in Gozo and only the third one in Malta, developed by a Belgian and UK company. A waterfall in the pool is also part of this aerating process.

But by far the biggest part of the site will be left natural: terraced fields dedicated to the growing of fruit and vegetables, with indigenous trees and unique features left as they have been for hundreds of years.

There is also a natural spring, which flows into an ghajn tal-hasselin (wash-house).

A picnic area has been created around a large carob tree, while a stone oven, in the traditional manner, will turn out ftajjar on a daily basis.

At the other end of the site, a village atmosphere will be created with a piazza, where the farmers of the land will press olives and grapes and produce oil and wine, which will be given to the residents.

In a rather nice touch, the land will not be lit by electricity at night, but by the old-style oil lamps on a post, hence recreating the ‘Jigi Majsi bis-sellum’ of Anton Buttigieg’s poem and a Gozo that only the over-60s may remember from their childhood.

There is also a belvedere overlooking country and sea views, and the children’s play area is around a 500-year old olive tree in which children’s tree houses have been built.

Children’s pets will be kept in specially built giren, and there will also be a stable on the site, as well as a rabbit enclosure and a chicken coop.

A bocci area will allow enthusiasts to play the game.

Since the site is terraced, and slopes from a ridge downwards, there are places where the rock formation is cracked and passages have been cleared among the rocks, providing a unique walk through Gozo’s natural environment.

Finally, a stone shelter built by a farmer in 1901, with a bridge between boulders, provides the background to a barbecue area.

This is a €20 million project that is planned for completion by the end of next year. The Mepa permits have been issued and the landscaping of the 13 tumoli has been undertaken first. Work on the apartments is subdivided into six sections and over the past four months one-and-a-half blocks have been completed and 17 apartments are ready.

Menfi Ltd is made up of well-known Gozitan and Maltese developers who have a long history of quality developments. This, however, is Menfi’s first development and the flagship of all the other developments – the first of its kind in Gozo.

The project has also been launched internationally and has attracted considerable interest from companies abroad, especially one in Belgium.

Residents will pay an annual management fee of €1,000 a year, and in return for on site maintenance, will also receive a share of all the fruit and vegetables grown on site.

Fifty apartments come with two bedrooms, while the other 25 come with three. Each apartment has an average area of 150 sqare metres, ranging from 130 square metres to 200.

The apartments also include duplex penthouses with swimming pools or Jacuzzi adjoined.

Menfi’s offices in St Leonard Street, Victoria have a walk-through sample apartment in miniature so that prospective residents can get the feel of the place.