We have very good news coming from the Planning Authority.

The NGO Wirt San Ġwann has managed to save the pill box in San Ġwann when the Planning Commission decided to impose a condition that the developer must retain its position, restore it and incorporate it in his design for the proposed development.

Prominent Wirt San Ġwann member William Soler and Mario Farrugia, of Wirt Artna, submitted our objections while mayor Etienne Bonello Dupuis thanked the commission for its decision to preserve the pill box.

Soler insisted the pill box can be repaired and restored without dismantling the top part, which the developer’s architect said was necessary due to the bulge in the ground floor. He also pressed for a guarantee within a short timeframe in case of relocation and for an archaeological monitor to report to the Superintendent for Cultural Heritage in any case.

The application was suspended to give time to the architect to come up with a design that integrates the pill box with the development, although the pill box is beyond the proposed alignment of the building, perhaps also necessitating a realignment of the road. Wirt San Ġwann hopes to be informed when new drawings are submitted.

Farrugia made a forceful case and claimed that the building also has a rural history that predates its World War II characteristics, possibly going back to the early 19th century.

He said the retention of the present location is important because of the visual connection with another pill box further north.

This is the third time Wirt San Ġwann managed to obtain results after the Ta’ Żbibu Lane amendments to the permit and the refusal of the old people’s home in Wied Għomor. This proves that, if we continue to make our voice heard and work hard towards the preservation of San Ġwann’s heritage, we can make a difference.