The Planning Commission has postponed its final decision on development application PA/00570/21 on Ġgantija Heights, Triq il-Parsott, Xaghra (Gozo), the PA said in a statement.

The Commission 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 Ġgantija Temples.

In March last year, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the Xaghra local council and NGOs had raised serious concerns over the proposed development of an apartment block close by to the Ġgantija temples.

The site is located on Triq il-Parsott, Xaghra. The application proposes the demolition of the existing dwelling and the construction of 20 garages at basement level and 31 overlying apartments on four levels above. The topmost level is indicated to be a setback floor.

Many hundreds of objections were filed against the proposed development, and the applicant had suspended the application in May 2021, but was reactivated some time later.

ENGO Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) released a statement describing the events within the meeting. It said that eNGO activists succeeded in winning a 6-week reprieve for the setting of Ggantija Temples, Xaghra, Gozo, "which is threatened by the construction of a 4-storey, 30 apt block on the fringe of its buffer zone."

FAA said that a member of the Environment Planning Commission had made the point during the debate that the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) along with the UNESCO Technical Committee had approved the project.

FAA said however, that heritage activists pointed to the fact that the UNESCO Technical Committee's "approval in principle" has not been submitted, as demanded by the EPC in a previous session. "Still less has it been made available to the public, a legal requirement, raising doubts as to why it has not been produced."

Astrid Vella representing Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar pointed out that the SCH was now approving the application, "in spite of its conditions that a whole floor be removed and a 'significant part' of the existing farmhouse be retained, have not been met."

The NGO reps also challenged the architect's claims that the structures' foundations and the basement garages would not require rock-cutting, FAA said.

"Astrid Vella revealed an email from UNESCO's Paris-based European Heritage Unit, confirming that they are looking into this matter but need more time, and emphasised that being a site of international importance, UNESCO is the ultimate authority, not our SCH."

"The Chairperson finally conceded that the local UNESCO Technical Committee's report should be produced, and deferred the session to the 8th of February," the FAA said.