MLP, Heritage Malta debate impact of Ħaġar Qim visitor centre

The visitor centre for Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra temples will have a strong visual impact on the sensitive zone, according to the Labour Party, but Heritage Malta begs to differ, saying the final design is "a careful balance between physical and visual impact".

The building is at its most visible when approaching the car park and has a much lower profile than the existing restaurant to the viewer at Ħaġar Qim, disappearing completely from view as the visitor proceeds towards Mnajdra, Heritage Malta said.

The MLP spokesman for planning, Roderick Galdes, called for an explanation from Heritage Malta and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority as to how they intended to mitigate what he termed as a "strong visual impact".

Mr Galdes said it appeared that the project would remain in the midst of controversy, adding that the direct impact on Ħaġar Qim, which enjoyed Unesco protection, was testimony to the "lack of planning".

But Heritage Malta reacted, pointing out that the project has evolved over a number of years and that the plans for the building per se have been widely publicised, with many opportunities for the public to participate in the consultation process.

The chosen site, it said, has the advantage that, as it is already heavily disturbed, the building does not present a new material impact on the surrounding agricultural land or on the undiscovered archaeology that may lie beneath it.

While the MLP recognised the need for the visitor centre to start functioning as soon as possible due to the importance of offering information to visitors, it also felt it was "unacceptable that the aesthetics of the building and its visual impact on the site were not taken into consideration".

It was even more unacceptable that other existing planning alternatives were completely ignored during the application approval by Mepa, Mr Galdes said.

Outlining the lengthy process of the project, Heritage Malta said it started with the launch in November 2003 by the then Youth and Arts Ministry in collaboration with the International Union of Architects of the brief for an international design competition for Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra. This was followed by the publication by Heritage Malta of the project description statement in 2004, giving full details of the project, and, consequently, the lengthy consultation process conducted by Mepa throughout 2005.

In April 2004, an international jury awarded first prize to Swiss architect Walter Hunziker, whose designs and design philosophy are being implemented.

"One of the fundamental characteristics of this design is that it makes no attempt to copy the materials or forms of the megalithic remains in order to underline the contrast between the permanence of the monuments and the ephemeral insertions of the present day," Heritage Malta pointed out.

The international jury also recommended that one building and not two, as originally proposed, should be built to house visitor services and that the building be located in the existing car park at Ħaġar Qim, it explained.

Heritage Malta had concurred with these recommendations, also noting that building a visitor centre in the quarries would require a new access road that was wide enough for coaches and a new parking area, which would have presented considerable engineering difficulties and environmental concerns.

Moreover, the duplication of access roads and parking facilities would have created a confused experience at Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra, Heritage Malta said.

It, therefore implemented a downscaled version of the building planned for the existing car park.

Regarding the visual impact of the building, Heritage Malta emphasised that no excavation was permitted on site and approval for some very minimal rock cutting was obtained from the relevant authorities to ensure that the building would not rise higher than the apparent horizon when observed from Ħaġar Qim.

Moreover, the visitor centre is designed to make maximum use of natural light and to have passive climate control, ensuring low energy bills and a low carbon footprint.

Heritage Malta said the visitor centre would offer a comprehensive service to the 130,000 visitors who call at the two sites annually, allowing for a permanent display on the relevance of the temples, including the exhibition of artefacts discovered there.

The new, fully-accessible centre would also include an audio-visual room, an educational area for children, a small cafeteria/shop and toilets.

Heritage Malta expressed confidence that once the visitor centre was completed and opened, public perception would view the project favourably.