BCA tribunal member, PN official, linked to controversial Ġgantija farmhouse demolition

A member of the government-appointed Building and Construction Agency (BCA) appeals tribunal, Samuel Formosa is the architect responsible for the controversial demolition of a traditional farmhouse within the buffer zone of the UNESCO-listed Ġgantija Temples, while the site technical officer responsible for the same process, Simon Mizzi, is a senior official within the Nationalist Party’s leadership team.

The farmhouse, which formed part of the approved Ġgantija Heights development in Xagħra, was demolished earlier this month to make way for a residential project comprising apartments and garages.

Heritage organisations and environmental groups have strongly opposed the development, arguing that the building and its surrounding landscape should have been protected because of their proximity to one of Malta’s most important archaeological sites. A permit was still issued by the Planning Authority.

The controversy deepened after the BCA issued a stop notice on 13 June, the same day demolition works commenced. According to heritage NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa, the stop notice was issued because the approved method statement, drawn up by architect Samuel Formosa, required the farmhouse to be dismantled carefully using hand-held tools.

‘The first clearance from the BCA was issued on 8 June, the same day that the last submitted document was validated. This must certainly be a record,” a Din l-Art Ħelwa spokesperson said in comments to The Shift.

“A stop notice was issued on 13 June, the same day that works commenced, and the farmhouse was demolished. The stop notice was issued because, according to the submitted method statement for the works, the farmhouse was supposed to be dismantled carefully using hand-held tools. Within three days, the clearance was reissued. Another record,” he said.

Din l-Art Ħelwa added that the principal issue remained the loss of the farmhouse itself and the impact on the setting of the Ġgantija Temples.

The Shift is informed that the project’s architect, Samuel Formosa, also serves as a member of the BCA Tribunal, the body established under Maltese law to hear appeals from BCA decisions. He was appointed by the government.

Asked by The Shift whether his appointment raised concerns about possible conflicts of interest, Formosa rejected the suggestion. He said the tribunal forms part of the judicial framework established under law, is independent from the BCA’s executive functions, and has no executive powers over the Authority.

Formosa noted that tribunal members are legally obliged to declare any interest and recuse themselves from any proceedings where a conflict may arise.

‘For absolute clarity, the project and the stop notice referred to in your email have never been discussed, reviewed, or decided upon by the Tribunal,’ he said.

He also stressed that he holds no other government role except the BCA Tribunal.

Meanwhile, BCA documentation identifies Simon Mizzi as the Site Technical Officer responsible for the demolition phase of the project.

Mizzi is also a senior official within the Nationalist Party and forms part of party leader Alex Borg’s leadership team.

The involvement of figures linked to both sides of Malta’s political divide in such a controversial project is likely to fuel long-standing public perceptions that the country’s development and construction sector, which remains loosely regulated, enjoys significant influence across the political spectrum.

Beyond the issue of appointments and conflicts, unanswered questions remain over the demolition itself, including the circumstances that led to the issuance of a stop notice, whether the approved method statement was followed, and how work progressed to the point where the farmhouse was effectively lost before enforcement action could have any practical impact.

The BCA, which falls under the oversight of Minister Jonathan Attard, has yet to publicly explain the sequence of events that led to the issuance of the stop notice and the subsequent re-authorisation of works.