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Developers have revived an old application to “extend” a disused cemetery over a large area of agricultural land in the limits of Siġġiewi, to the concern of environmental authorities. The Ta’ Brija Cemetery, close to Girgenti, was once used to bury pDevelopers revive application to ‘extend’ old cemetery
Developers have revived an old application to “extend” a disused cemetery over a large area of agricultural land in the limits of Siġġiewi, to the concern of environmental authorities. The Ta’ Brija Cemetery, close to Girgenti, was once used to bury plague victims and has been abandoned and overgrown with vegetation for at least 50 years. Paul Gauci first applied in 2006 to carry out restoration works, build a prayer room and store, and extend the cemetery over 11,000 square metres of mostly agricultural land, which would be largely paved over. The proposed extension has since been downsized to 3,600 square metres. The application has progressed in stops and starts since then, but the Times of Malta is informed that it is now being pushed forward once more, and fresh drawings were uploaded to the PA server on April 6. Environmental concerns were first raised back in 2011 by the former Environment Protection Directorate (EPD), which said the proposal was not “an extension to a currently existing cemetery but rather the construction of a new cemetery”. The EPD said the proposal was “disproportionately large” and would entail a significant take-up of land “at the expense of a... Read more