A request to build a mobile antenna with four panels on the dome of the protected Għargħur church was turned down yesterday by a planning authority board.

Recommended for refusal, the application was to fix the panels on the dome of the church with a cabinet mounted on brackets against the wall of one of the belfries.

The planning authority’s heritage unit pointed out that fixing antennae on belfries and churches was “objectionable in principle” because of the negative impact on their “visual integrity”.

The antennae also required large equipment boxes and heavy wiring which would be placed on the church, making the project unacceptable.

Also, this project was “even more unacceptable” since the Għargħur dome was a “primitive dome” built in the 17th century by renowned Maltese architect Tommaso Dingli which had “an austere drum devoid of any architectural features” as its main characteristic.

As a result, any antennae fixed to a dome will be “very visually disturbing” especially since the church – scheduled as Grade 1 – was in a prominent location. The World Health Organisation recognises that several people attribute health conditions – such as headaches, anxiety, depression and nausea – to electromagnetic exposure. However, to date, scientific evidence does not support a link between such symptoms and exposure to electromagnetic field, according to WHO.