Heritage Malta took drastic action recently to safeguard the integrity of the Ta’ Hagrat Temple in Mgarr by requesting the government property division to expropriate two plots of land for which the Malta Environment and Planning Authority had granted building permits, despite the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage’s advice to dismiss the applications.

Mepa had already given the green light for the construction of two-storey buildings less than 10 metres away from the megalithic remains, but following a request from Heritage Malta, the government allocated a not unsubstantial sum of money for the plots’ expropriation.

The move could very well turn out not to be a one-off and more similar actions could be in the pipeline.

Contacted by The Malta Independent on Sunday, a Heritage Malta spokesperson said that while such land expropriations have been proposed in its draft Conservation Plan for the Megalithic Temples, which is still open for consultation, in cases where immediate action is required to safeguard the integrity of a site action such as at Ta’ Hagrat, it is being taken without delay.

The government property division had valued the plots to the immediate north of Ta’ Hagrat at e140,880 and, in line with standard practice, land owners are compensated at commercial rates when the government needs to expropriate private property to safeguard the public interest.

The spokesperson added that expropriation is generally considered as a last resort.

In the case of Ta’ Hagrat, Mepa had rejected statements issued against the developments by Heritage Malta and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, on the grounds that the plots are located within the development zone.

As a result, the only remaining option to safeguard the immediate surroundings of Ta’ Hagrat from being hemmed in further by development was to buy the land.

And although the Ta’ Hagrat expropriation is a positive story, it appears there were attempts to keep the affair under wraps – possibly because of the way Mepa had handled the issue.

Heritage Malta, which finally replied to this newspaper’s questions this week, never issued a statement regarding what is a monumental acquisition, but NGO Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA), in a press release issued on 23 May, praised the national heritage agency’s initiative.

FAA, without mentioning the name of the temple in question, observed, “The fate of the lesser known prehistoric temples at Mgarr, not far from Skorba Temple, is looking more positive ever since a move by Heritage Malta to buy surrounding unbuilt land”.

FAA’s Astrid Vella rightly pointed out that while this is certainly a positive development, it is also something of a desperate and costly solution since Heritage Malta had to compensate landowners at commercial rates once the highly irregular permits were issued.

FAA added that if Mepa’s policies for protecting monuments and respecting the buffer zones designated by the same authority were working properly, the money could have gone instead toward the restoration and interpretation of the historical sites.

FAA called for the activation of Mepa’s Heritage Fund, intended specifically for the purchase and upkeep of listed buildings or neighbouring land to ensure the maintenance, restoration, or preservation of Malta’s archaeological and architectural heritage.

FACT BOX

Ta’ Hagrat Temple

Ta’ Hagrat forms part of Malta’s network of megalithic temples, declared World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The site lies close to the Mgarr church and dates back to 3600-3200 BC; it is one of the earliest temple buildings in Malta.

The temple, with its characteristic imposing façade, is almost undoubtedly a partner to Skorba Temple, just a kilometre away.

Ta’ Hagrat comprises a double temple consisting of two adjacent buildings, both of which are less formally planned than is usual in temple construction.

As with many temple finds in Malta and Gozo, Ta’ Hagrat’s discovery was haphazard. In 1916, a mound of stones was sighted in a field at Mgarr, some of which the owner of the field is reported to have used to build a house.

The site was excavated between 1923 and 1926 under the direction of Sir Temi Zammit, Malta’s first Director of Museums.

It was not until the early 1960s, when renowned British archaeologist David Trump carried out further work, that Ta’ Hagrat was accurately dated: the larger building was placed in the Ggantija phase (3600-3200 BC); the smaller was identified as being from the Saflieni phase (3300-3000 BC).

The plentiful pottery of an earlier date implies that these two temples replaced earlier remains.

Source: Heritage Malta