Environmental NGOs welcome reconsideration of Ta’ Hagrat permit

FAA, Ramblers and Friends of the Earth welcome news that government is considering action to block the construction of a two-storey building in the Ta’ Hagrat buffer zone

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA), the Ramblers’ Association of Malta and Friends of the Earth Malta have welcomed news that the government is considering action to block the construction of a two-storey building in the Ta’ Hagrat buffer zone, the narrow space that presently separates the temples from the nearby houses.

FAA has argued that such a building will not only detract from the integrity of this World Heritage Site, but that this precedent will lead to construction within the buffer zones of other Grade A protected heritage sites.

A spokesperson for Joseph Muscat’s

The eNGOs appreciate the fact that Malta’s politicians recognise the value of such heritage sites. The eNGOs urge the heritage authorities and the Mgarr Local Council to upgrade the shabby entrance to the Ta’ Hagrat Temples which is not worthy of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The FAA’s petition to the authorities and UNESCO has now exceeded 2,000 signatories.

“It is interesting that the Emergency Conservation Order being considered in order to block this damaging development is the very heritage protection tool that MEPA intends eliminating in its ‘Efficient Planning’ reform.  For this reason, FAA urges the public to continue signing its petition calling on the Government to drop proposals that would remove protection of Malta’s natural and cultural heritage sites, leaving them at risk of demolition and vulnerable to speculation,” the FAA said in a statement.

“Heritage is not only the core of our national pride, but is also as a precious economic resource that draws much-needed tourists to our shores. Destroying heritage in order to fill such sites with yet more apartments reveals Government’s worrying readiness to short-sightedly pander to the interests of a few at the cost of Malta’s long-term economic, environmental and social well-being.”