The Coalition for Gozo has again urged the Planning Authority to annul the approval granted to applicant Emmanuel Farrugia concerning the deplorable development proposal of “Gigantija Heights,” featuring a block of 22 apartments and 20 parking spaces located less than 180 metres away from the Ġgantija Temples World Heritage Site.

During the Planning Authority board hearing on 9 November 2023, John Gauci, the applicant’s lawyer, seated alongside developer’s architect Samuel Formosa, asserted that the application does not fall within the Ġgantija Buffer Zone. Chairman Dr Emmanuel Camilleri requested the PA Directorate to verify this claim.

The Directorate confirmed that the site is situated within the Ġgantija Area of Archaeological Importance (AAI) and not the Ġgantija Buffer Zone. These statements are also documented in the official minutes of the hearing on the Planning Authority e-server. The Coalition for Gozo asserts that the Planning Board was misled by these statements, as the development in question is evidently within the Ġgantija UNESCO Buffer Zone.

In August 2010, the AAI around Ggantija was expanded by the Planning Authority (Government Notice GN 853/2010). In 2015, the Maltese Government submitted a Minor Boundary Modification to the Buffer Zone of Ġgantija, viewable here: https://whc.unesco.org/en/documents/139812

This modification extended the World Heritage Site Buffer Zone to account for the 2010 increase in the AAI. The proposed building works site falls WITHIN this expanded World Heritage Site Buffer Zone.

In response, during its 39th session in 2015, the World Heritage Committee made Decision 39 COM 8B.46, approving the boundary modification proposed by Malta, viewable here: https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6396 In light of these facts, the Coalition for Gozo is asking the Planning Authority should rescind the permission granted for the construction of “Gigantija Heights” altogether.

The coalition is made up of Din l-Art Ħelwa Għawdex, Għawdix, and Wirt Għawdex

Earlier this month, The Malta Independent on Sunday reported that four appeals have been filed against a decision taken by the Planning Authority to approve the aforementioned permit. The appeals were filed with the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal. Two were by a number of NGOs, while the other two were submitted by the Heritage Malta Agency and the Xagħra Local Council. Separately, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) has filed a letter with the PA calling for the permit to be suspended or revoked.