Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/875714
6 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER 2017 News JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority has approved the construction of a 40 sq.m agricultural store sur- rounded by a rubble wall in- stead of the ruins of a vernacular building, possibly dating back to the 16th century, at the top of Ta' Ghar Ilma hill in Kercem. Two previous attempts by owner Lorry Apap to "rebuild" the store had already been refused by the PA in 1994 and 2000. The decision was confirmed on appeal in 2002. But on Wednes- day the permit was ap- proved by the PA's plan- ning commission on the basis of a policy approved in 2014, which allows the reconstruction of pre- 1978 structure. The original building on the site was already described as being in "ruins" in 1967 site plans. Prof. Anthony Bonanno investigated the 'ruin' in a report in 2002, where he said the ruins be- long to a structure dat- ing back to the Knights' period – possibly to the sixteenth century, which merits scheduling for its protection. The report also refers to the possible existence of a cave un- derlying the ruin in question and called for the restoration of the structures for the rehabilitation of the area as a heritage trail. The building has been in ru- ins for a very long time. In fact a 1968 survey sheet confirms that a "ruin" occupied the same foot- print when the survey sheet was drawn up. The Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage had expressed concern on the proposal, noting that the "the development ap- plication is more akin to a new construction covering the same or similar surface area, rather than a re-construction". The SCH was not against re- construction of the building but only following a detailed restora- tion method statement aimed at reconstructing the structure as it originally was. In view of this, the SCH called for "detailed external and inter- nal drawings of the structure; historical photographs of the structure that are being used to guide the proposed reconstruc- tion works; the methodology for the dismantling and reconstruc- tion of the structure". The SCH did not receive any of the above documenta- tion. In a memo it sent to the PA it insisted that "in the absence of the above documentation the Super- intendence cannot assess the proposed reconstruc- tion of the vernacular structure". When asked by Mal- taToday a spokesperson for the authority insisted that a detailed Restoration Method Statement was not requested because the structure is in "ruins" and cannot be restored. The Authority spokes- person also pointed out that the commission re- quested that the an extra 6 judas trees are planted along the road to mitigate the visual impact. The Commission decid- ed to overturn the Plan- ning Directorates recom- mendation on the grounds that "the store is clearly visible in the '78 aerial photo and therefore is compliant with the Rural Policy and Design Guid- ance 2014 Policy 6.2C(1)". Case officer called for refusal The applicant wants to rebuild what was described as "a pre- 1967 agricultural store" with an external footprint of 40 sq.m. The proposal also includes the restoration and reconstruction of the old boundary walls sur- rounding the building and ac- cess through a wooden gate. The area enclosed by the rub- ble walls covers 2,000sq.m and will include three Judas trees to minimise the visual impact. The ruins of the old building are located on the eastern ridge of the plateau of Ghar Ilma in Kercem, designated as an ar- chaeological buffer zone due to remains of structures dating back to the times of the Order of St John – mainly the remains of a detached dwelling situated partly on top and partly below the brow of the Ghar Ilma pla- teau. The 1968 Survey Sheet indi- cates that a structure (indicated as a 'ruin') was present at the time. The new store will retain approximately the same foot- print of the ruin and will be con- structed in recycled stone and fitted with timber windows. Although the Environment and Resources Authority did not object to the proposal it did highlight the fact that "the pro- posed store includes multiple apertures, which is more akin to recreational/urban uses rather than agricultural stores which seek to maximise internal stor- age space". After repeated objections from the SCH, the architect submitted a letter, which reiter- ated the reluctance to submit a Restoration Method Statement. The letter states that the ap- plicant was ready to comply with the reconstruction meth- ods imposed by the SCH. However, no further infor- mation was provided. Instead the applicant asked the SCH to provide the information need- ed. In view of this the case of- ficer recommended the refusal of the application. The proposal was deemed to be in conflict with the Strategic Plan for Environment and De- velopment 2015, which seeks the re-appraisal of the value of the character, amenity and dis- tinctiveness of designated areas and sites for their built heritage value. In addition, according to the case officer the proposed works may lead to an adverse impact on the archaeological remains on site. Therefore the proposal also runs counter to Thematic Objective 8.7, which seeks to control activities which might have an impact on areas, build- ings, structures, sites, spaces and species with a general pre- sumption against the demoli- tion of scheduled vernacular buildings. How appeals tribunal had shot down proposal in 2002 In 2002 the Department of Agriculture had confirmed that the applicant was regis- tered as a part-time farmer (with one tumolo of dry land) since 1999, but confirmed that no land was tilled by the appli- cant in the vicinity of the site. In an affidavit the applicant claimed that the room had only collapsed 10 years before and that before that it was in- tact. He claimed that the prop- erty had been demolished in 16th century ruins to make A villa and a store approved in 1993 and 2015, 300 metres away from site, also approved instead of old ruins