News | Sunday, 06 December 2009

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Church withdraws Birkirkara cemetery application

A controversial application to develop a 1,302 grave cemetery in Ta’ Raddiena, a rural conservation area between San Gwann and Birkirkara, has been withdrawn 10 years after it was first presented.
The application presented by the Canon Anthony Mallia Borg on behalf of the Collegiate Chapter to develop the land had already been refused twice by MEPA, but an appeal presented in 2002 was left pending for the past seven years.
MEPA originally turned down the application because the police code does not permit cemeteries which are less than 183 metres away from residential areas.
Church organisations in Birkirkara had lobbied for the development of the new cemetery and even collected a 20,000-strong petition supporting their case.

But residents living in the vicinity of the proposed cemetery were far from enthusiastic. “Considering that the entrance to the cemetery is opposite our dwellings, we will hold the respective authorities responsible for the emotional stress which may be caused to our children,” reads one of the objections sent to MEPA.

Canon Borg justified the claim for a cemetery, arguing that Birkirkara is one of the few localities in Malta not endowed with a local cemetery. “The cult of death is a fundamental aspect of Maltese religiosity and our sole motive is to encourage people to continue respecting their ancestors,” the elderly canon had told MaltaToday in 2006.
The land, known for its scenic beauty, was owned by the Church and is presently administrated by the Joint Office.
Borg was not alone in his bid for a cemetery. He was supported by town mayor Michael Fenech Adami and Labour MP and self-confessed Birkirkara ‘patriot’ Joe Debono Grech.

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