Gozitan NGOs – Din l-Art Helwa – Ghawdex, Wirt Ghawdex, and Ghawdix, together with Moviment Graffitti have strongly condemned the Planning Authority’s haste to “recommend the destruction and development of Fort Chambray for approval.”

In a statement on Monday, the organisations said just 3 weeks after the direct action carried out by the NGOs at Fort Chambray, the Planning Authority issued two recommendations for approval: one for the demolition of the historic British Barracks, and another for the development of Fort Chambray into an aparthotel, apartment blocks and commercial facilities. A decision on both applications will be taken on the 12th of December.

They highlighted that the recommendations for approval were issued despite around 1,400 objections against the demolition of the British Barracks, and despite the various requests by the Gozitan NGOs for the scheduling and due protection of the Barracks – which date back to circa 1895.

The organisations pointed out that even the Gozo Regional Development Authority has taken a clear stance against the demolition of the Chambray Barracks, stressing that “Gozo’s heritage should be protected and preserved because it is a vital part of Gozo’s identity.”

They insisted that “such destruction of our heritage constitutes a violation of the Cultural Heritage Act of the Laws of Malta, and runs counter to PA Circular 3/20 (6.5), which protects the context of scheduled buildings. Fort Chambray, a historic citadel fortress, is a scheduled Grade 1 Fort, and is comprised almost exclusively of Grade 1 and 2 scheduled historic buildings.”

“The PA and the SCH are treating Fort Chambray as simply an infill building site with scant consideration for its historic, cultural and architectural value,” the organisations said.

They also argued that the proposal to demolish the British Barracks moreover violates the Fort Chambray Development Brief’s Existing Buildings Retention Policy, which states that the Barracks, along with other historic sites within the Fort, are to be retained, restored and conserved.

“Despite misleading claims that the Barracks are in poor condition, the Barracks are still in a very salvageable state and should be restored and converted into a cultural hub or repurposed for sustainable tourism,” the organisations said.

They stated that “Fort Chambray stands as a symbol of the failures of both Nationalist and Labour administrations, who over the past 30 years of failed concessions, have left Fort Chambray to rot as they handed it over to different developers.”

“The betrayal of the Gozitan and Maltese people could not have been clearer last June, when both the Government and the Opposition voted in favour of a Parliamentary resolution to allow the original concessionaire Michael Caruana to sell the government concession and transfer extensive tracts of land to a group of other developers,” they added.

Moreover, the organisations stated that the Government will be responsible for the consolidation works of the terrain underlying the Fort, the restoration works, and the maintenance of the Fortifications. “Essentially, this means that the people will be paying for the restoration of the Fort to allow the developers to pocket millions out of it.”

The Gozitan NGOs and Moviment Graffitti reiterated their call on the Government to “halt the plans for Fort Chambray and to do the right thing. They reiterated that if the Planning Authority is allowed to do whatever it wants, they are ready to take the necessary actions to make those responsible for the destruction of our heritage answer before the law.”

Photo: Moviment Graffitti

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