The entire application had gone along swimmingly, until, at the very end, a Mepa board member pointed out that the Department of Agriculture’s objection to the uprooting of 19 date palm trees on the outskirts of the Ġgantija complex in Gozo was ridiculous.

These trees, the board member said, are doing irreparable harm to the archaeological remains underneath. It was from precisely here that among the best terracotta artefacts have been dug up.

Besides, it was also pointed out, the date palm trees are not endemic. Other speakers at the Mepa board hearing yesterday complained that the Agriculture Department seems to make no difference between palm trees at the Argotti and at Ggantija.

However, given the importance of the entire project, and reluctant to engage in head-to-head controversy with the department, on the Mepa chairman’s suggestion, the matter has been left open so that discussions can be held with the department and hopefully this matter will be ironed out.

The proposal was for the demolition of recent structures within the Ġgantija Archaeological Area and the construction of an interpretation and visitor centre.

The proposed development comprises the following:

• Construction of a single storey Visitor Centre and an ancillary building labelled the Exit Building – intended to provide adequate facilities for people leaving the site;

• Laying and installing a walkway which is accessible for all, starting from the Visitor Centre leading to the temple complex and continuing up to the Exit Building. The walkway includes the setting up of informative elements such as the small cubicles termed as portals intended to enhance the visitors’ experience;

• Landscaping measures aimed at restoring the natural surroundings, to screen modern interventions and to create a plaza adequate for contemporary activities in the vicinity of the temple complex ; and

• Provision of car parking facilities.

The complex consists of:

1. The Ġgantija Temples, which are a two-temple complex that is among the most important archaeological remains of the Maltese islands. The five-apsed south temple is the earliest and the better preserved. The north temple is of a four-apsed type. The site is also a UNESCO world heritage site.

2. 100m buffer zone for the temple complex, consisting of two temple units with separate entrances but sharing a common facade and a common outer wall, standing on the eastern edge of the Xagħra plateau, facing Nuffara hill and dominating the Ramla Bay valley.

3. 50m buffer zone for a small alignment of four megaliths standing on end by the northeast corner of the Ġgantija car park, inside the fence. The megaliths form a slightly curved wall and could, possibly, have formed part of another temple structure.

4. 50m buffer zone for a cave, ovoidal in plan, and measuring L. 2.44m x W.1.68m x H. 1.06m, was discovered during quarrying operations in 1949.

5. Megaliths

Megaliths and archaeological site near Ġgantija Temples, Xaghra

The buildings that will be demolished include a temporary visitor centre built in 2005 and other ancillary facilities, used as offices. The visitor centre is outside the ODZ area, will be one storey high and will not be visible from the temples area. Both the visitor centre and the exit building will be considerably lower than the buildings across the road, most of which are on two storeys and some even on three.

The proposed visitor centre is located about 180m to the north of the Ġgantija Temples and has a covered footprint of circa 500 sq.m. The visitor centre is made up of an area reserved for exhibits, a multi-purpose hall seating 74 persons, a children activity area, a ticketing and lobby area, sanitary facilities, office space and staff rooms. Visitors reach the archaeological complex via a walkway that starts at the end of the exhibition area to the south of the visitor centre.

The walkway will be in cement but only the soil will be cleared for it. Heritage Malta and its architects came under some pressure to use gravel but they replied this would make the walkway impossible to use by people in wheelchairs.

Somewhat more problematic will be the removal of asphalt at the exit in order to create a landscaping based on garigue. Equally problematic will be the children’s centre, which will be sited in an old quarry – so much so that a separate application will have to be made in this regard.

As for car parking, there will be two coach lay-bys near the entrance as well as provision for the parking of some 20 cars. At Hagar Qim and Mnajdra the provision of car parking is for 27 cars and seems to be enough.

• Visitor coaches/buses/vans will approach the site from Triq il-Mithna, and will stop in the provided lay-bys where passengers are to be dropped-off at the entrance to the interpretation centre. The coaches, etc., will then proceed to the parking area located close to the ‘exit’ from the Ġgantija Heritage Park.

• From the interpretation centre, visitors will be able to walk along a defined pathway to the temples.

• The visitors will then go through the exit point to their coach/bus/vans/taxi (parking area).

This route is being proposed in order to improve visitor flow, and avoid an uphill climb back to the interpretation centre, also considering the needs of different audiences (elderly people and those with special needs).

Theoretically, there should be a problem with the exit building since this is very near to four megaliths which seem to be the only remains of another temple but the consultative bodies Mepa consulted all argued in favour of the exit building being put there since the building will actually support the megaliths.

Roderick Galdes, MP, raised the issue of run-off water from the two buildings. It then turned out this is an issue between Heritage Malta and Mepa, though of minor importance, since no digging is allowed, but Mepa is objecting to four spouts from the top of the exit building.

Finally, Joe Falzon, MP, asked what timelines will there be for this upgrading project. Architect Robert Sant replied the major concern was the time to sow the plants, which is from October to December. But since this period has been lost for this year, it may well end up that the sowing of plants will have to be among the last of the works, when it was planned it would be among the first jobs so that the landscaping would be in place and visible when the project is unveiled.

Heritage Malta’s archaeological heritage conservation project

The Archaeological Heritage Conservation Project, which Heritage Malta is currently undertaking, will cost €9.2 million and 85% of this amount is financed through the European Regional Development Fund (Priority Axis 2 – Promoting sustainable tourism – Cohesion Policy 2007 – 2013, Operational Programme I – Investing in Competitiveness for a Better Quality of Life), includes works on three sites, namely the Tarxien Temples (Tarxien), the Ġgantija Archaeological Park (Xagħra, Gozo) and St Paul’s Catacombs (Rabat). The project duration is from January 2008 to March 2013. The Archaeological Heritage Conservation Project will see the embellishment and conservation of two sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the ‘Maltese Megalithic Temples Inscription’, Ġgantija and Tarxien Temples, as well as St Paul’s Catacombs which are an outstanding example of Malta's catacombs and are on the Tentative List for future inscription as a World Heritage Site. These sites, which form a core part of Malta’s cultural tourism product, will be upgraded through the provision of essential tourist amenities including:

• An Interpretation Centre incorporating all amenities and interpretation facilities at Ġgantija Temples (a welcoming orientation point to the cultural resources on the Xagħra plateau) and St Paul’s Catacombs.

• Walkways which will provide access for all around the sites, while protecting original floors and surfaces. The sites will also be upgraded through measures for their better preservation, including: • The installation of a protective shelter over the Tarxien Temples which will ensure its long-term effective protection from the major causes of its deterioration.

• The installation of environmental mitigation equipment to sustain the conservation requirements of the subterranean areas of St Paul’s Catacombs.

• The installation of specialised lighting systems that will eliminate as well as stabilise biological organism growth that are currently defacing the catacombs.

• A structural analysis of the Ġgantija Temples with special emphasis on areas currently supported by shoring in order to ensure the structural stability and preservation of the monument. Hence, the aims behind this project are to enhance the significance of these sites by investing in the optimal methods and materials available for their conservation and interpretation. Furthermore, the interventions carried out through this project will assist in raising the level of awareness and knowledge of national heritage.