Candidate for the Nationalist Party in Gozo Luke Said, has highlighted the dire condition of the Qbajjar Battery in Gozo.

Said warned that “this structure cannot survive another year of neglect. Local residents and councils are furious. A historic site is crumbling while the community is denied the chance to use it.”

“In January of this year, after decades of procrastination and bureaucratic inertia by the Lands Authority, it was finally announced that they had agreed to transfer the site of the Qbajjar Battery (also known as il-Qolla l-Bajda Battery) to Heritage Malta for emergency restoration and conservation,” the PN candidate said in a statement.

He noted that the news was widely welcomed as a long-overdue step towards safeguarding one of Gozo’s most iconic Grade 1 scheduled landmarks.

Said noted that “by May, however, no visible work had been undertaken, prompting me to appeal for action. It is now October, and still no tangible progress has been made. While restoration projects are by nature complex and time-consuming, the present state of the site is indefensible.”

He added that a recent visit revealed continuing neglect, deterioration and vandalism. “Most alarmingly, the entrance to the battery remains entirely open and unsecured, exposing the structure to further damage and posing a serious danger to the public.”

Said stated that, “throughout the summer, people were repeatedly seen spending nights inside the battery, partying and leaving litter throughout the premises. Others were observed camping and lighting barbecues next to its crumbling outside walls. This situation raises serious doubts about the authorities’ genuine commitment to the protection of cultural heritage, particularly since, ten months after the original announcement, no progress whatsoever is visible on site.”

He pointed out that to seek accountability, a number of Parliamentary Questions were tabled to the Minister for Culture, Lands and Local Government, the Honourable Owen Bonnici, requesting clarification as to what, if any, action had been taken:

PQ: 31363

Data: 14/10/2025 Seduta: 390 – 20/10/2025 04:00 PM

The Honourable Julie Zahra asked the Honourable Owen Bonnici (Minister for Culture, Lands and Local Government):

Can the Minister reply to Parliamentary Question No. 31111, which was originally directed to the Minister for Gozo and Planning, namely:

In light of the agreement announced earlier this year between the Lands Authority and Heritage Malta to remove hazards from the Qbajjar Battery in Zebbug, Gozo, and given that there are no visible works apart from a few markers placed on the structure-which remains open to the public and raises concerns about vandalism and the safety of those entering-can the Minister provide details of the works carried out to prevent tragic incidents such as that of the young woman who died following the collapse of the abandoned Rihama Battery?

Can he also present the results of any surveys conducted in this regard? Furthermore, can he say whether there are plans for the Qbajjar Battery to be transferred to Din l-Art Helwa, in the event that there is no interest from the Lands Authority or Heritage Malta?

Reply:

I refer the Honourable Interpellant to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 14567. (Referring to another PQ from 2024 – responding by: I am informed that discussions in this regard have already taken place.)

It was therefore clear that the Minister had failed to address the question directly. A follow-up PQ was therefore submitted:

PQ: 31663

Data: 23/10/2025 Seduta: 393 – 27/10/2025 06:00 PM

The Honourable Julie Zahra asked the Honourable Owen Bonnici (Minister for Culture, Lands and Local Government):

With reference to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 31363, can the Minister say whether any works have been carried out on the site of the Qbajjar Battery in Zebbug, Gozo, since the beginning of the year 2025?

Reply:

I inform the Honourable Interpellant that this site is the property of the Maltese and Gozitan people. I am aware that there are pressures for it to be transferred to third parties; however, I would ask the Honourable Interpellant to appreciate that the Lands Authority has an obligation to safeguard the public interest at every stage.

This means answering the question: what is in the best public interest – that the site remains under the ownership of the Lands Authority and that any subsequent processes be carried out by the Government itself, or that the site be passed into private hands, particularly when one considers the great potential it holds?

I ask the Honourable Interpellant to understand that I have a duty to take what I believe to be the best decisions in the interest of the Maltese and Gozitan people as a whole.

At the same time, there is agreement that the site should indeed be restored. However, such restoration would be only half-complete if there were no clear plan for the site’s eventual use. On this point, the Lands Authority is currently carrying out its analysis and will be announcing its course of action in due time.

Said argued that “this dismissive and patronising response once again fails to answer the simple question posed: Have any works been carried out on site? Ten months after the initial announcement, the answer remains obviously resounding no. Is this why the Minister avoided answering a simple question?”

He stressed that “the Lands Authority spent years deliberating on the future of this historic site, only to decide, finally, to transfer it to Heritage Malta. One would have expected that, after so much time, a concrete plan of action would already be in place. Yet nothing has materialised. It bears recalling that Heritage Malta assumed responsibility for the Qbajjar Battery only after the tragic death of a young woman following the collapse of the abandoned Ri?ama Battery at St Thomas Bay, Marsaskala.”

“That tragedy prompted promises of “urgent action” to avert further incidents. Ten months later, there is still not even a warning sign on site, the entrance has not been secured and no visible attempt to prevent ongoing vandalism (like installing a simple solar powered webcam). Moreover, the 2026 Budget makes no reference to any allocation of funds for its restoration,” added Said.

Said insisted that “this is an appalling state of affairs. The authorities’ evasions and lack of tangible progress are an affront to public trust and to the memory of those lost through past negligence. The people of Gozo, and of Malta as a whole, deserve more than endless ‘discussions’ and hollow assurances. They deserve decisive action to protect their cultural heritage before it is irretrievably lost.”

Luke Said concluded by calling upon Minister Owen Bonnici “to recognise that he bears a clear duty to act in the best interests of the Maltese and Gozitan people by ensuring the protection of the Qbajjar (Qolla l-Bajda) Battery.”

Photo: Luke Said

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