PA postpones Ġgantija apartment block decision, pending UNESCO evidence

Plans to build a block of apartments close to the Ġgantija Temples have been put on hold until the Planning Authority is shown evidence that UNESCO does not object to the proposal.

The PA’s Planning Commission was due to decide on the application at Ġgantija Heights, Triq il-Parsott, Xagħra on Friday.

But following a heated, hour-long session in which objectors and the commission chair exchanged heated words, the final decision was put off for six weeks.

The commission asked the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage to present its correspondence with the UNESCO Technical Committee, confirming that it does not object to the project.

Ġgantija is listed among UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. 

Objectors described the decision as a victory, saying that the deferral was only ordered after they insisted on the SCH making the UNESCO paperwork public. 

The proposal (PA 0570/21) seeks to replace an old building and a field that lie around 150 metres away from the UNESCO World Heritage Ġgantija Temples with a three-floor, 27-apartment block.

The application was filed by Emmanuel Farrugia, with Samuel Formosa as the project architect. 

Originally, the developer sought permission for an even...