Access to one of Malta’s most beautiful rural and archaeological sites is being blocked by a family that has occupied the area’s farmhouse for generations, although the government says it is working on a solution.
“No Entry” signs have been set up along a road that gives the easiest access to Is-Simblija (a scenic area between Dingli and Rabat), outraging visitors.
One warning, printed on A4 paper, bears these cryptic words of caution: “We warn you that what you may read in the media, on the internet, other written sources or what others may have told you about this private farm property may not be correct until verified and you may be acting on false premises that would not absolve any criminal activity.”
Is-Simblija was the site of an EU-funded restoration project in 2003 but public access has long been contentious. Ramblers have often complained it is still inaccessible almost 10 years after the project was completed.
Road signs set up years ago leading people to the site from Dingli and Rabat have also disappeared.
Several readers who wrote to The Times also complained that people blocking access to the site were rude, while taking the authorities to task for not preventing such abuse.
“We asked if we could just take some photos but he kept repeating it was private property,” wrote Alfred Grech about a man who stopped him gaining entry to the area.
A photographer of The Times was also denied access and immediately threatened with legal action if anything were to be written about the area.
Family blocks is-Simblija
According to Dingli mayor Ian Borg, there were also attempts to prevent the local council from listing Is-Simblija as a landmark on one of its heritage trails.
He said the council would like to make the site accessible to the public but in the 1990s the area was handed to the Rabat local council instead, a decision which Dingli contests.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, which manages the historical parts of the site, including its mediaeval chapel, paints a complex picture of the situation while defending the right of farmers to protect their land.
“Only a fraction of the site has been restored through the Aramis project. The Simblija estate is massive and includes large tracts that to our knowledge have been leased to the current farming family for a very long time,” Mario Farrugia said.
He said there is an arable area in the valley, which he described as a bone of contention.
“We have long been aware of the issue and we have always insisted that access to the Simblija site is limited to the heritage site only and not past the second gate in the site’s forecourt, which leads one into privately tended fields. One must appreciate and respect the lives and rights of farmers in rural areas such as in this case.”
However, he said a balance must be found between the rights of visitors and the rights to privacy and safety of the family that lives there and holds a legal title from the government going back centuries.
He pointed out it was an “open site, meaning that it is not gated”.
The Land Department told The Times it has been aware of this issue for around a year and was working to find a solution by which public access is guaranteed while respecting the farming family.
The department is in discussion with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage as well as Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, in the hope that a solution can be reached.