Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1523932
13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 JULY 2024 Qrendi poet rues demolition of farmhouse big headache, especially with regards to traffic manage- ment. But our objections have to be based on solid planning grounds… I have asked those objecting to the development to provide such grounds and not generic statements." He also pointed out that the council still has to meet after the local elections, and had no chance to discuss this issue, which coincided with the elec- toral campaign. He said he had informed councillors that they are free to present their objec- tions to the project. But Schembri also down- played the architectural merits of the farmhouse, noting that it had endured major damage due to the intrusion of water and has been left in a dilapi- dated state for a long time. "This building has been left to deteriorate for quite some time… Why has this building become so important sudden- ly?" he asked. According to the Superin- tendence for Cultural Herit- age, the property, which surely predates 1911 when it was re- corded in a survey sheet, ap- pears to be one of the oldest rural structures leading into the village core and towards the parish church of the As- sumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The building, described as a "damaged residence" in the planning application present- ed by applicant Darren Cian- tar, is deemed to have signif- icant vernacular and cultural heritage value by the cultural heritage authority. The building is constructed using traditional techniques and materials, including fran- ka stone masonry and dou- ble-skinned walls. The façade elevation also features two remissa entranc- es, one of which is currently blocked. "Given the significant ver- nacular and cultural heritage value of the existing property, the proposed demolition is not deemed acceptable from a cul- tural heritage point of view," the SCH concluded in a report on the proposed development.