Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545509
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 24 JUNE 2026 NEWS Siggiewi council objects to Ta' Brija crematorium THE Siggiewi Local Council has formally objected to a plan- ning application proposing a crematorium and columbarium complex at Ta' Brija, warning that the development would in- troduce unjustified urban-scale infrastructure into Outside De- velopment Zone (ODZ) agricul- tural land. The proposal (PA/7540/25) covers more than 11,000sq.m on the outskirts of Siġġiewi and includes a crematorium, mor- tuary, chapel, 54 columbarium units, landscaped gardens, inter- nal circulation areas and ancil- lary service buildings. Part of the site overlaps with a previously approved cemetery extension, while the remainder extends into surrounding agricultural fields in the Girgenti rural area. The application, submitted by funeral undertaker Mario Ton- na, lies adjacent to the historic Ta' Brija cemetery, a long-aban- doned burial ground original- ly established in 1623 during a plague outbreak and later reused under British rule. The site is en- closed by traditional limestone boundary walls and has previ- ously been the subject of a con- troversial cemetery extension approved in 2020. While acknowledging the proximity to an existing ceme- tery use, the council insists this does not justify the introduction of a crematorium facility, which it describes as a materially differ- ent and more intensive land use involving combustion processes, mechanical plant and institu- tional infrastructure. In its submission, the council argues that the proposal fails to demonstrate an overriding need for an ODZ location and does not adequately assess alternative sites. It maintains that cremato- rium development in rural areas is an exceptional form of devel- opment that must be strictly justified under national planning policy. A key concern raised is the permanent loss of agricultural land. The council notes that the proposal would replace cultivat- ed fields with built structures, paved surfaces and servicing ar- eas, resulting in irreversible land take-up without sufficient public interest justification. The objection also highlights cumulative impact, arguing that when combined with the adja- cent cemetery extension, the de- velopment would progressively intensify institutional use in the area. This, it says, would lead to the gradual urbanisation of a ru- ral landscape forming part of the wider Siggiewi–Girgenti coun- tryside. Visual and landscape impacts are also cited as a major issue. The council warns that colum- barium structures, formal gar- dens and ancillary buildings would introduce visually intru- sive elements into an open rural setting. It argues that insufficient mitigation measures have been proposed to reduce the visual footprint of the development within the surrounding country- side. Traffic generation and environ- mental concerns have also been raised. Funeral-related activities, the council notes, typically pro- duce episodic peaks in traffic linked to services and gather- ings. It argues that the surround- ing rural road network has lim- ited capacity and that junction and parking arrangements have not been sufficiently assessed. On environmental grounds, the council raises concerns about emissions from cremation processes, including particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. It says that no comprehensive air quality modelling or dispersion studies have been submitted to adequately assess potential im- pacts on surrounding areas. The objection further cites in- consistencies with the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED), particu- larly policies relating to ODZ containment, rural protection, agricultural land safeguarding and landscape conservation. It insists that ODZ development should remain strictly excep- tional and tightly controlled. The council also refers to prec- edent, including the refusal of a similar crematorium proposal in Gudja (PA3310/25), where the Planning Authority highlighted ODZ conflicts, environmental clearance requirements and ag- ricultural land protection con- cerns. It argues that the same principles apply in the present case and that crematorium ap- plications require a high eviden- tial threshold. The Siggiewi Local Council concludes that the proposed development is not policy-com- pliant, would result in unaccept- able rural land loss, and would contribute to the incremental urbanisation of ODZ country- side. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt