The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has asked for photomontages of the proposed redevelopment of Prime Minister Robert Abela’s villa in Żejtun, located in an outside development zone. In September, the Abelas filed a planning application seeking to demolish the existing property and build a new villa. The SCH said the Abelas’ property lies some 18 metres away from the historic Chapel of St Nicholas, a site with architectural and historic value that is part of the National Inventory of Cultural Property. The site falls within the Ħal-Ġinwi Site of Archaeological Importance, it added, which could mean that ground disturbances could uncover cultural features that may need to see proposed drawings amended. The superintendence noted that the existing property does not have any cultural heritage value which would warrant its preservation. To further assess this application, the superintendence required photomontages of the proposed development from strategic viewpoints that include the chapel and the wider Ħal-Ġinwi complex. In the interim, heritage NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa objected to the application on the basis that it would formalise the further take-up of ODZ land that is not...
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