Din l-Art Ħelwa is appealing a decision by the Planning Authority to refuse the scheduling of the 19th-century British barracks at Fort Chambray, in Għajnsielem.

Earlier this year, Din l-Art Ħelwa Għawdex, Għawdix and Wirt Għawdex wrote to the authorities requesting the urgent scheduling of the barracks due to their outstanding historical, cultural and architectural value.

But on December 6, DLĦ was informed their request was being turned down.

Plans to dismantle the British-era barracks at Fort Chambray, part of a broader redevelopment including a hotel and residential units, are set to be approved on Thursday.

According to the proposal, the facade of the barracks will be built elsewhere within the fort.

According to the Malta committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), this falls far short of good conservation practice.

Developers also want to demolish 60 unfinished apartments and construct a hotel and new apartments in the resumption of a project that goes back decades.

Upon learning that the proposal was being recommended for approval, Din l-Art Ħelwa - Għawdex, Wirt Għawdex, Għawdix and Moviment Graffitti earlier this week slammed the planning authorities' "haste to recommend the destruction and development" of the historic fort.