We are asking the Planning Authority to revoke a permit for an apartment block mere metres away from the Ġgantija temples in Xagħra, Gozo, which was approved on the 9th of November 2023. 

With seven votes against one, the Planning Authority approved a 22-apartment block of flats and 20 basement garages near the historic temple site, despite UNESCO mandating that a heritage impact assessment is required for any developments within buffer zones. 

Why is this site so important?

Ġgantija Archaeological Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of two structures built over 5,000 years ago, between c.3600 and c.3200 BCE, about 1000 years before the magnificent pyramids of Egypt.

They rank amongst the earliest free-standing stone buildings in the world and are remarkable for their diversity of form and decoration.  The Ġgantija temples are an architectural masterpiece and a witness to an exceptional prehistoric culture renowned for its remarkable architectural, artistic and technological achievements.

Remains of animal bone discovered in this site suggest communal rituals and feasting. The presence of stone hearths shows the use of fire. A number of libation holes in the floor may have been used for the pouring of liquid offerings. It is probable that during ceremonial activities, the congregation would have assembled outside the monument, since the large forecourt in front of the two structures was purposely raised by the same builders.