Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1494132
7 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 MARCH 2023 JAMES DEBONO 7,447 new dwellings were approved in Gozo in the five years between 2018 and 2022, data provided to MaltaToday by the Planning Authority (PA) show. The number of approved dwellings in these five years is more than twice the total number of dwellings found in the Gozitan capital of Rabat back in the 2011 census. Moreover, the PA has approved 9,819 new dwellings in the decade between 2012 and 2022, which is the equivalent of 39% of the total number of dwellings (25,070) reported in the 2011 census. At a record 1,885 dwellings were ap- proved in Gozo in 2022, this was the largest number approved in a single year since the setting up of the PA in 1992 – on average five new dwellings were ap- proved every day, weekends included. The number of new dwellings rose from 712 in 2017 to 1,061 in 2018 and to 1,754 in 2019, dropping to 1,353 and 1,394 dur- ing the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. But permits shot up to 1,885 right after in 2022. This was eight times the number of dwellings approved in 2013 when only 227 dwellings were approved. While the dip in the number of proper- ties approved in 2012 and 2013 reflected the economic slowdown in the country, the post-2017 upsurge reflected both the economic turnaround and new policies allowing five-storey blocks in the build- ing zones extended back in 2006. In Malta, the 9,523 new dwellings ap- proved in 2022 remained substantially lower than the 12,485 pre-pandemic per- mits in 2019, confirming that Gozo has defied the slowdown trend. And while in 2018, Gozo permits ac- counted for just 8.2% nationally, that rose to 19.8% in 2022 – practically one in five. The most approved were in Rabat (387), Sannat (274), Żebbuġ (195) and Xagħra (190). The record number of dwellings approved in Sannat, population 2,186, coincided with a series of permits issued JAMES DEBONO THE Għajnsielem local council plans to reconstruct an iconic arched walkway bridge which collapsed in the mid-20th cen- tury, in a bid to restore the lo- cality's rural characteristics. The arched bridge used to link farmland on opposite sides of Wied il-Kbir, the valley link- ing the village to the Mġarr harbour. Only one of the im- posts of the original structure survives to this day. The upper part of the valley is still characterised by fertile agricultural and fruit trees on both sides of the valley once linked by the arched walkway. The original arch was built with Maltese Franka stone bricks and stood about 8m high. "It was very prominent and possibly iconic for the village of Għajnsielem," said archi- tect Edward Scerri in a works method statement from the lo- cal council. By reconstructing the arch, the council seeks to increase awareness and appre- ciation of its town's heritage, describing it as "one of the best kept villages of Gozo". Even though subjected to rap- id development in the past dec- ades, with the resulting loss of important elements of its built heritage, Scerri said that by re- constructing the lost arch the council will "enhance the tra- ditional rural characteristics of the village." Although the works envisage a scientific reconstruction of the original bridge, the new structure is not intended as a pedestrian bridge as it original- ly was but as a historical monu- ment. The replica will be based on a study of historical photos which provide accurate infor- mation on the dimensions of the bridge. The works will be carried out by installing a crane in a park- ing area to lower both materi- als and a bobcat onto the fields below it. The works have been cleared by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage and the Environment and Resources Authority. No weathered stone is to be used but new franka masonry which will eventually weather homogenously over time. Building mad: record Gozo year as lower prices attract buyers Over 7,400 new dwellings approved in Gozo in five years with 1,885 alone in 2022 to companies linked to Gozitan con- struction magnate Joseph Portelli on a site 300m from the Ta' Ċenċ cliffs. Over the past years Gozo has become more attractive to buyers looking for a holiday home due to lower prices. A KPMG study published in November 2022 showed properties in Gozo were 20% cheaper than in southern Malta, which is already 30% cheaper than the north harbour area. But over the past years Gozitan may- ors have expressed concern at the loss of Gozo's unique identity and have called for a revision of planning pol- icies. Ghajnsielem valley arch to be rebuilt The arched bridge used to link farmland on opposite sides of Wied il-Kbir, the valley linking the village to the Mgarr harbour