Għajnsielem mayor Kevin Cauchi has defended his shift in stance after a 2008 article resurfaced, showing his previous opposition to the demolition of the British barracks at Fort Chambray. This comes after the local council voted in favour of the controversial decision to demolish the structure and relocate it.

“Let us hope that the new plans would not lead to further rape of Fort Chambray,” Cauchi wrote in an article from 2008.

On Thursday, the Planning Authority gave the green light for the demolition and relocation of the British barracks, which is part of a wider redevelopment of the Għajnsielem landmark, including a five-star hotel and apartment blocks.

The two applications filed by Gozitan developer Michael Caruana on behalf of Fort Chambray Ltd – one to dismantle the barracks and one for the masterplan – were approved in two separate votes, each passing with five votes in favour and two against.

Only seven members were present to vote, as four were absent – Andrew Ellul, Joseph Zammit, Aimee Brincat, Saviour Debono Grech. Joseph Tabone declared a conflict of interest.

PA chair Emanuel Camilleri, Marica Borg, Martin Camilleri, Charles Hili and the Għajnsielem local council voted in favour of the development. Mario Borg, of the Gozo Regional Development Authority, and NGO representative Romano Cassar were the only votes against the project. 

“The easiest option would have been to vote against it. Although the decision would have passed anyway, we would have looked much better doing so,” Cauchi told Times of Malta.

In 2008, Cauchi posted an article on ghajnsielem.com, a website he runs, about the history of Fort Chambray. At the end of the article, he referred to a statement that Alternattiva Demokratika had made condemning the planning application.

An excerpt taken from Kevin Cauchi's article on Fort Chambray. Photo: ghajnsielem.com

The application he refers to is the outline development permit approved in 2012, which allowed for the demolition of the barracks.

“Unfortunately, the architectural and historical contexts seemed to be ignored once again. Let us hope that the new plans would not lead to further rape of Fort Chambray while leading economic growth in Gozo and restoring this prestige location to its former glory,” he wrote.

Asked about the article, Cauchi first clarified that the barracks are not being demolished but “shifted”.

Kevin Cauchi and PN MP Alex Borg. Photo: Facebook

Għajnsielem’s mayor Kevin Cauchi. Photo: Facebook

“My opinion and my wish have been the same, that Chambray, as much as possible, remains preserved. But today I am the mayor, and I need to take positions. I need to take into consideration a number of different things, including the positions of my friends in the council,” Cauchi said.

Given the fort was derelict and was a “construction area” for years, Cauchi said that as a council they decided to try to get the most out of this development.

‘History will judge’

To get the most out of this, the council had many meetings with the developers to discuss concerns and ways in which the development could be used to benefit the local community.

The council was also concerned about the potential collapse of the bastions, public open spaces, the proposed use of the ditch, and issues related to waste management.

Cauchi said one thing discussed with the developers was how to make use of the ditch to benefit the locals of Għajnsielem.

During the PA board meeting, council executive secretary Lucienne Haber mentioned that the council would like to be an interested party. She mentioned how the ditch can be used as a public space, how a planning gain should be established and that developers should consider including a space that displays the history of the fort.

Despite meetings with developers, they never made any promises, Cauchi said.

Although no promises were made, Cauchi saw the developers’ openness to sitting down with the council and listening to their suggestions as a positive sign.

“History will judge,” Cauchi said, hoping that this development would take into account the issues the council raised.

‘There was no pressure from Alex Borg’

Back in June, the bipartisan parliamentary committee unanimously agreed to amend the Fort Chambray concession to allow extensive parts of the site to be transferred to new investors. This effectively means that the original concessionaire – Caruana – can sell the concession to a group of unnamed investors who are reportedly in negotiations over the site.

PN MP Alex Borg was one of the committee members who voted in favour of the transfer of the concession. He later defended his decision in a post on Facebook where he explained that the government’s reluctance to restore the fort has left no choice but to involve private entities to carry out the restoration.

Sources said Cauchi is a canvasser for Borg, but the mayor denied this, saying he simply offers his “support to anyone in the party who is a candidate”. 

Asked whether there was any pressure from Borg to vote in favour of the development, Cauchi replied: “There was no pressure from Alex Borg.”

He further clarified that, within the council, nobody was pressured by their respective political parties when it came to voting on both applications.