Illegal occupiers of a protected fort in Binġemma will only be evicted after “alternative accommodation” has been found for them, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said on Monday.

In reply to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Rebekah Borg, Schembri confirmed that the fort is still being occupied by an “elderly lady”, who was a party to the original lease, as well as her son.

The son in question – Steve Buttigieg – ‘protects’ the fort with a pack of angry dogs that sound the alert whenever anyone approaches.

Buttigieg’s social media posts show he regularly hosts people at the illegally occupied fort, which includes a water reservoir repurposed as a swimming pool.

Schembri confirmed that the 16-year lease for use of the fort expired in 1997. The original terms of the lease did not allow it to be used as a private residence.

The minister said that despite “lots of discussions” over the years about how to solve this problem, it had now reached a point where the occupants have to be evicted.

However, Schembri said this will not happen until “alternative accommodation” is found for them.

A social media post by Buttigieg featuring his guard dog.

Back in 2009, an order was given to evict the Buttigieg family from the fort. The process apparently stalled when the family demanded to be given alternative accommodation by the government.

The fort was still being occupied last week, with Times of Malta finding a Lands notice calling on the occupier to contact the authority.

“Today the enforcement officers of the Land's Authority called on-site/property to speak to you. As no one answered, you are kindly requested to phone,” the letter said.

“Private Property” and “RTO” are still sprayed across the fortification. Barbed wire has been installed on top of and on both flanks of the main gate. CCTV cameras have been installed across the fort perimeter.

'Private property' warnings have been sprayed over various parts of the fort.

The grade one building, a level of protection afforded only to sites of cultural heritage, was originally built in 1878 as part of the Victoria Lines. The fort overlooks the rural west of Malta in the limits of Rabat with uninterrupted vistas of the sea.

The place was originally leased to Gaetano Buttigieg for cow-rearing on the eve of the 1981 general election. The family has resided in the fort without authorisation ever since, despite the cow-rearing lease having expired in 1997.