Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1480970
8 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 OCTOBER 2022 PA orders reassessment of Marsaxlokk tower relocation JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority's planning com- mission has decided that an application to demolish a historical watchtower in Marsaxlokk, to make way for a new road on land added to development zones in 2006, should be republished again and vetted from the very initial stages. In a clear rebuke of the case officer recommending approval of the ap- plication, PA board chairman Martin Camilleri expressed his bafflement at the fact that the board was being asked to approve the relocation of the watch- tower to another location outside de- velopment zones, in the absence of any assessment of its impact on the new site on the valley bed. The application to dismantle the tow- er was originally presented by the Tour- ism Ministry in 2020. Following strong objections by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage to the proposed dis- mantlement of the tower, the central government took the back seat with the Marsaxlokk council taking the helm in fronting the application. The council's application foresees the "dismantling of existing tower structure and its proposed re-assembly at a new location in lieu of planned road con- struction to connect existing roadways at Triq Lepanto and Triq il- Kavaller- izza." The case officer had recommended approval of the dismantling of the tow- er on condition that a new application identifying the new site is presented in six months. This would have meant that the tower could be dismantled before the alternative site in the ODZ was even assessed let alone approved. The case was already brought in front of another PA board responsible for development within development zones last month. But board chairman Stephania Baldacchino decided to pass the buck to the board responsible for ODZ applications, chaired by Camilleri, in view of the fact that the tower would be relocated to an ODZ site. Baldacchino had similarly expressed her puzzlement at being asked to ap- prove the dismantlement of a tower with no clear idea of where this is going to be relocated. Initially Martin Camilleri hinted that a completely new application should be presented, after describing the late presentation of a plan indicating an al- ternative site for the tower as "a materi- al change" which merited a completely new application. But lawyer Ian Stafrace, who was rep- resenting the local council, insisted that the council had been misled by PA offi- cials who first indicated that the appli- cation should be limited to the disman- tlement of the tower, and then asked for an indication of the new location of the tower. In the meeting, archeologist Reuben Grima expressed his dismay at both the case officer report and the local council. "The Superintendence is clearly ob- jecting to the dismantlement of the tower insisting that it should remain where it is now. How can a case officer blatantly ignore such an objection?" asked Grima. Grima also expressed his disappoint- ment about the role of the local coun- cil. "One expects local councils to be a shield against development threatening the cultural heritage. Instead, we have a council which is presenting an applica- tion to dismantle a part of our heritage." Environmentalist Analise Falzon and architect Tara Cassar insisted on the rerouting of the proposed road as sug- gested in alternative plans submitted by Din l-Art Helwa. Environmentalists fear that the new road would pave the way for development in this pristine area of M'Xlokk added to development zones in 2006. Falzon also questioned the insistence on implementing a plan for a road dat- ing back to 1995. "Are we going to impose a mistake committed nearly 30 years ago on fu- ture generations?" she asked. Stafrace rebutted that the council had no say on the routing of the new road and any change from the schemed loca- tion can only be done through a zoning application presented by the landown- ers or the Planning Authority itself. The Superintendence for Cultur- al Heritage has recommended Grade 2 scheduling for the tower struc- ture which originally served as a rural watchtower before being turned in to a pigeon loft and has repeatedly asked for a rerouting of the proposed road. The Environment and Resources Authority also objected to the relocation of the structure in the ODZ.