Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1363129
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 APRIL 2021 NEWS Solar farm near Ta' Hammud dolmens 'unacceptable' says watchdog JAMES DEBONO A farm for over 4,500 solar panels inside the buffer zone of the Ta' Hammud dolmens in Magħtab will have an "unac- ceptable" impact on the cultural landscape, the heritage watch- dog has warned. The Superintendence for Cultural heritage expressed its "grave concern" on a 12,000sq.m solar farm with 4,505 panels and a substation, calling out the unacceptable impact on the cultural land- scape of a sensitive location. The dolmens are located on the other side of Triq ir-Ramla, less than 100m from the pro- posed development. The Environment and Re- sources Authority is also ob- jecting to the solar farm, which will take-up agricultural land in the area and modify its nat- ural state, leading to the loss of rural character of the area. A proposed policy regulat- ing the development of solar farms limits such develop- ments to quarry sites. But over the past year a number of ap- plications have been presented for the erection of solar farms on extensive countryside sites. These include a 22,000sq.m site in Manikata, where 6000 panels are being proposed on greenhouses; and a 10,500sq.m site in Mosta where 2,076 solar panels are being proposed in five large greenhouses. JAMES DEBONO MALTA'S watchdog on cultural heritage is still plagued by un- derfunding and staff shortages despite its increased workload in assessing and monitoring new construction projects. According to the latest an- nual report presented by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage (SCH), the organisa- tion needs 68 employees but is staffed by 38, up from just 14 in 2016. Over the past years the SCH has been weighed down by thousands of planning applica- tions requiring its assessment and archaeological monitoring, which in some cases yielded notable finds. In 2020 alone the Superin- tendence was consulted on 6,393 new planning applica- tion. The SCH's annual report al- so denounced a "negative atti- tude towards cultural heritage" among certain sectors, namely those with "an interest in ex- panding profits through specu- lation at the cost of the cultural heritage, the natural heritage, safety and well being". The SCH's budget reached €700,000 in 2019 and 2020, but required additional funds last year to meet €1.1 million in costs required for the em- ployment of additional officers. Despite improved funding, the organisation is "still catching up with years of backlog of in- adequate funding and capacity building." The report also refers to the fact that Malta is now the on- ly country to have signed but not yet ratified the European Landscape Convention, which would oblige the country to protect cultural landscapes in- cluding neighbourhoods and to set up legal mechanisms for this aim. The Environment and Resources Authority is spearheading the ratification process. Discussions have so far focused on the resources required by the entities re- sponsible "for the continuous reporting and monitoring" af- ter ratification and on whether legal changes are required. The SCH is also seeking a recognition of "underground cultural landscapes" which al- though not visible from the ground, also merit protection. The SCH noted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the appreciation of cultur- al heritage, saying that it was more valued as "a prime sym- bol of the feel-good factor" and that it featured prominently in the President's billboards pro- moting post-COVID recovery and in government bulletins. It also refers to the impact of the pandemic on the character of open spaces in historical cen- tres referring to the "bizarre beauty of Valletta's empty streets". Archaeological remains uncovered during roadworks. The SCH's annual report says it has to increase its staff from current 38 to 68 Heritage watchdog still understaffed The SCH denounced a "negative attitude towards cultural heritage" among those with "an interest in expanding profits through speculation at the cost of the cultural heritage, the natural heritage, safety and well being" Superintendence that monitors construction projects for heritage impact says it needs to double workforce