The Maltese planning authority has scheduled 50 newly discovered archaeological sites within the area of Mġarr and Żebbiegħ.  It also extended the scheduled boundary of the area of archaeological importance (AAI) to incorporate land to the south of Tà Ħaġrat Temples in Mġarr and a sizeable area to the south and east of the church in Zebbiegh Currently, the total protected area covers 0.8 square kilometers.
     Most of the archaeological sites and features were discovered as a result of stringent planning permit monitoring procedures and field surveys carried out by the authority and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. These newly unearthed archaeological sites include extensive areas characterised by a high density of prehistoric and classical pottery scatters, classical tombs, rural walls with long stretches of megaliths and ashlar stones, historic paths, ancient enclosures and water systems.
     A number of single chamber tombs and small catacombs have been recorded in Mġarr and Żebbiegħ. Within the surviving karstland, a large number of cart-rut systems and ancient quarries are recorded. Some of these rock-cut archaeological features date as far back as the Bronze Age.

Edited from Times of Malta (23 December 2014)