Qbajjar Battery, an 18th century battery located outside Marsalforn, is in “dire need of intervention, with the rate of damage speeding up as more of it becomes exposed to the elements,” said Din l-Art Helwa – Ghawdex.

The NGO recently organised a clean-up of this Grade 1 scheduled building, which was supposed to be handed over by the Government to its parent NGO – Din l-Art Helwa some 15 years ago.

In a statement on Monday, Din l-Art Helwa – Ghawdex explained that this however had never happened “and the hand-over has been held up at the Lands Department ever since, while the battery has been falling ever further into disrepair, with structural damage now very evident.”

The clean-up was organised with the help of NGO Nadur Nadif and the Gozo branch of the Cast Out project. Members of the Pahola Zumba class, which use the parvis for their outdoor classes and many citizens with an environmental conscience joined the very well attended event, other passersby also joined in the activity. Daniel Cordina from the Zebbug Local Council which supported the clean-up also attended.DLH Ghawdex said that around 40 bags of rubbish were collected, as well as four boxes of broken glass, other scrap, and discarded white goods.

“Much more still needs to be done with the interior of the Battery in a state of complete shambles and disrepair,” the NGO said. The volunteers were also given a talk about the history of the site by Din l-Art Helwa Education Officer Stanley Farrugia Randon.

This is not the first time this year that Din l-Art Helwa has highlighted the plight of the Qbajjar Battery as well as other sites awaiting restoration.

It said that last February, at the Annual General Meeting, Executive President Alex Torpiano had warned that many historic sites were deteriorating through neglect and abandon as a result of bureaucratic delays in granting their guardianships to NGOs.Besides the Qbajjar Battery in Zebbug, Din l-Art Helwa has also for some time been seeking guardianship of the medieval chapel of San Cir, the Cavalerizza and Marfa Palace in Mellieha, which are all in dire straits and need restoration as soon as possible, it said.

The NGO said that it has already carried out the required studies, acquired the necessary permits and found funds for restoration. “All that is needed is action from the Government to protect the Qbajjar Battery and many other of Malta’s beautiful and historic sites for this and future generations.”

DLH Ghawdex said that a guardianship agreement generally has a renewable span of 10-15 years, during which the NGO is obliged to keep the site in pristine condition, with annual reporting to the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.

Photos: Daniel Cilia

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