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local
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Gozo archpriest laments problems
in Citadel project
By
Nadine Brincat
The church's plans to build a school and recreational area on
the border of the Citadel in Gozo are being thwarted on two fronts.
Monsignor Joe Vella Gauci explained that a Planning Authority
decision to issue a second conservation order on the Citadel threatened
to hinder the project, while there had also been no agreement
with the government to exchange land which could be used for the
venture.
To add insult to injury, the partial exchange of land with the
government would have helped level the imbalance left when land
in Gozo was expropriated from the church 25 years ago.
The PA scheduled the Citadel as a Class A locality of Archaeological
Importance in 1998, and again as a Grade 1 monument and an Area
of High Landscape Value on 23 January 2001. But the new scheduling
now extends to half of Sabina Square, where the church had hoped
to build a school and recreational area.
Mons. Vella Gauci told MaltaToday that according to the Church
Architect, Alex Torpiano, the conservation order does not categorically
exclude development but presumably renders things more difficult.
"Only part of the site under consideration was included in
the first schedule, but this is now included in its entirety.
I am concerned that this may hinder our projects to transform
the abandoned plot into a school," he explained.
Under the first conservation order, the Church signed a pre-contractual
agreement with Magro Estates Limited 18 months ago, for a period
of three years, to acquire a plot of land. The land is situated
next to government property, enabling access to the public road
besides, and providing much desired parking space.
The church was advised to acquire the adjoining four tumuli of
land from the government through partial exchange with other church-owned
property.
Mons. Vella Gauci explained that the church wants to make the
exchange with a strip of land in Gharb, which the government expropriated
25 years ago, without the permission of the Ecclesiastical Authorities,
and building a football ground on a site known as ‘Il-Wilga'
or ‘Il-Wied tal-Knisja'.
However, the government instead offered the land under the Citadel
to Victoria local council, during the last election, which inevitably
aggravated matters. The Cathedral Administrative Council intervened
and consequently the local council unanimously voted in favour
of a motion to return the land to the government.
The Church hoped to exchange the property in Gharb, which spreads
over 40 tumuli, with the land they want under the Citadel. However,
Mons. Vella Gauci said, to complicate matters even further, Gharb
local council has now built a promenade on another part of the
site.
The Archpriest told MaltaToday that the Church has never received
compensation for the expropriation, and the government took more
from the Cathedral than it plans to transfer. According to Mons.
Vella Gauci, the proposed part-exchange would equalise the equation.
In view of the situation, he added, Mr Torpiano's suggestion to
the exchange of church with government lands was a reassurance
that the landscape would not be affected, and would remain in
keeping with the surrounding environment, with terraced building
on the sloping terrain.
The architect's suggestions were discussed with the drafters of
the Local Plan for Gozo and Comino. Mons. Vella Gauci pointed
out that the proposals included a suggestion that during the weekend,
the school ground could be used for parking for the increasing
number of people visiting Victoria for religious functions at
the Cathedral.
He has his own doubts as to whether this objective will ever materialise,
but stated that if the conservation order and its amendments were
inspired by a policy aimed at obstructing the project of the Church,
the whole issue would before long indeed become a political one.
"In this case, the church would once again be compelled to
seek the necessary support and strength by appealing to the faithful,"
he added.
When contacted by MaltaToday, the Planning Authority did not comment
on the reason and purpose of the extension of the conservation
order. It merely said that the football ground already existed
in 1988, when the government did not require permits to build
on its property. The permit requirement for the Government was
introduced in 1992, with the Development Planning Act. "The
football ground was already in existence when this legislation
came in force," a PA spokesman said. "Whether the football
ground was constructed on Church property, or otherwise, is not
a planning issue."
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