Relief as soil removal plan at historic Naxxar site is withdrawn

An application for the removal of soil from a Naxxar site, which is deemed to be of archaeological interest possibly dating back to Roman times, has been withdrawn. The application was for the removal of soil for archaeological investigation in a 2,816 square metre site located outside the development zone in an area known as Tal-Wej. For the Archaeological Society Malta and Din l-Art Ħelwa, the removal of the soil would be “unwarranted, methodologically flawed and damaging” to the site’s archaeological value. The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and the Environment and Resources Authority opposed the removal, with the former urging the Planning Authority to implement its policies to ensure the protection of the natural and cultural landscape. According to the Superintendence, the area of Tal-Wej is a multiperiod site with cultural heritage features dating from the Bronze Age. It explained that the way the Tal-Wej area had been shaped through the interaction of humankind with its natural environment defined the area as an important cultural landscape. Among other features, there were cart-ruts, dolmen, ancient quarries and rock-cut tombs, as well as more recent early-modern...