Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544693
GozoToday is a weekly newspaper focused primarily on Gozo. It hopes to serve as a source of information on business, culture, entertainment and of course current affairs. Gozo has a special charm about it but it is also a bustling Island with an identity of its own. GozoToday is published every Friday and is available to numerous outlets in Gozo and on the ferries that carry so many visitors to Gozo from Malta and beyond. GozoToday MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 9016 ASSISTANT EDITOR: LAURA CALLEJA Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt 3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 1 MAY 2026 NEWS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 THE statistics distinguish be- tween the Maltese population alone and the combined Maltese and foreign population. Household income levels rose over the same period. In 2025, the median disposable income of Mal- tese households reached €44,216, an increase of €4,214 compared to the previous year. Income in- equality also narrowed, with the Gini coefficient falling from 29.5% to 27.9%, indicating a more even distribution of income. Long-term trends show further improvements. In 2014, the at- risk-of-poverty threshold stood at €7,672, with 15.9% of the pop- ulation, or around 66,000 peo- ple, falling below it. By 2025, the threshold had nearly doubled to €13,220, while the proportion at risk declined to 14.4%, or approxi- mately 57,000 people. A sharp reduction was also re- corded among those with very low-income levels. In 2014, over 107,000 individuals, more than a quarter of the population, had an equivalised income below €8,951. By 2025, this number dropped to 13,000, marking a decrease of 94,000 people over the period. Overall, the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion fell from 24% of the population in 2014, nearly 100,000 individuals, to 17.2% in 2025, or about 68,000 people. This represents a decline of nearly seven percentage points, or 32,000 fewer individuals over 11 years. Between 2024 and 2025, im- provements were recorded across almost all measured indicators of deprivation, with only one catego- ry showing no decline. Compared to 2014, all indicators point to a sustained reduction in hardship across Malta and Gozo. Income gains drive down social hardship across Malta and Gozo Xewkija, Gozo PA approves flats in Ggantija buffer zone despite NGO backlash THE Planning Authority has granted final approval for a con- troversial 22-apartment block with 20 underlying garages with- in the buffer zone of the Ġgantija Temples in Xagħra, Gozo. The decision, taken this morn- ing, saw the Planning Board vote 10 to 1 in favour. The only dis- senting vote came from NGO representative Romano Cassar. The application (PA/00570/21) had already been approved in 2023 but was later revoked fol- lowing an appeal, pending a her- itage impact assessment (HIA) by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH). That assessment, concluded in February, led the SCH to maintain it had no objec- tions to the project after revised plans were submitted. A coalition of NGOs, however, strongly criticised the watchdog's position, describing it as "deeply questionable" after reviewing the assessment. The Planning Board had pre- viously deferred its decision to allow objectors to present their concerns directly to the SCH. But with the superintendence stand- ing by its conclusions, chairman Emanuel Camilleri closed the public discussion and moved to a vote. Cassar argued that the impact assessment itself contained con- tradictions. He noted that while it justified the development by referring to similar heights al- ready approved in the area, it al- so warned the project could set a precedent. He insisted the block is too close to the temple complex and would replace a traditional farmhouse with a modern struc- ture. In the run-up to the decision, a coalition made up of Din l-Art Ħelwa Għawdex, Għawdix and Wirt Għawdex raised concerns about the methodology of the assessment. They argued that key elements such as screening, scoping and stakeholder consul- tation—dismissed by the SCH as outside its remit—are in fact cen- tral to the UNESCO process. "Remove them, and what re- mains is not a rigorous assessment but a partial one," the NGOs said. The coalition also accused the SCH of overstating the role of international bodies. It said the assessment "leaned heavily" on UNESCO and ICOMOS as if they had endorsed the project, when in reality such bodies only review and advise. "UNESCO does not approve projects. To present that as endorsement is, at best, impre- cise. At worst, it is misleading," they said, noting that no ICO- MOS report was presented. The NGOs also pointed to the heritage assessment's own find- ings, which acknowledge that the development would remain dominant in the streetscape, with a façade appearing as a single, ho- mogeneous mass. "These are not minor observations. They are red flags," the coalition said, question- ing how such conclusions could still lead to a finding of "no signif- icant impact". Despite these objections, the Planning Authority ultimately endorsed the project, clearing the way for development within one of Gozo's most sensitive heritage zones. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Ggantija temples: The PA has approved a 22-apartment block in the temple's buffer zone