Plans have been approved to develop a four-storey apartment block on a site in Mġarr containing some of the oldest buildings in the village.

The Planning Commission approved the proposal unanimously on Wednesday after the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage (SCH) dropped its objections and cleared it.

Read: Oldest Mġarr buildings risk being turned into flats

The site on Triq Sir Harry Luke includes a vernacular farmhouse dating back 400 or 500 years and a historic barumbara (dovecote), which residents say is the oldest structure in Mġarr. The proposal will retain the historic building and integrate it in the new development, while part of it will be dismantled and reconstructed.

Part of it will be dismantled and reconstructed

The SCH had originally objected, noting that the site lay close to the Ta’ Haġrat Temples, a Unesco World Heritage Site and Grade 1 scheduled national monument, and a Grade 2 scheduled underground military shelter.

The heritage watchdog had also noted though the property was within the Mġarr development zone, it was close to the village core, church and main square.

After discussion with the developer over the preservation of the farmhouse and the submission of revised plans, the SCH dropped its objections, provided works would be archaeologically monitored.

Heritage NGO Din L-Art Ħelwa objected, together with some Mġarr residents, due to the impact on the historic buildings. These concerns were shared by the local council, which however did not object to the development in principle.

Residents sounded alarm bells last year after parts of the barumbara stone fabric were allegedly removed over the course of several evenings by an unknown individual, leading to the forced collapse of the back wall of the historic property.

Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar suggested the destruction of the building by stealth could have been related to the then pending development application.

The environmental group said the barumbara was a unique vernacular structure testifying to the historic rural development of Mġarr and called on the authorities to stop the “vandalism” and protect it.

In a statement on Thursday, the Mġarr council expressed regret at the project's approval, which it said, would have a series of impacts on the locality, traffic and architecture and would also lead to cultural and identity loss.

It said it wondered whether the points it had brought up in a letter dated November 2, 2016 had been considered.

These included that that all existing buildings should be studied by professionals of the historical and architectural heritage, for visual record to be kept before any intervention, and for every intervention to be made under the supervision of professionals in the sector.

The building in question, it said, was one of the oldest in Mġarr and it was possible there was a World War II shelter close to it.

The proposal for the building to be incorporated in a block of modern flats was just a smokescreen for the developer to supposedly preserve it.

The council was also concerned as to whether the excavation which would have to be carried out could endanger or destroy the shelter.

It was also concerned at the visual impact of the building, in the heart of the centre just a few steps away from the parish church.

Society had the duty to preserve what had been left to it by past generations and provide a future for its children. With this development, the coming generation would be a village of concrete suffocated in traffic.

The council appealed to the authorities to reconsider the proposal and take all the precautions necessary to safeguard the historical, cultural and social heritage of Mġarr and its residents.

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