Updated Jan 2, 10.45am
A coalition of NGOs that intends to mount a legal battle against a Planning Authority decision to dismantle the barracks at Fort Chambray has asked the public for financial help.
The NGOs say they will be appealing that “outrageous” decision, which they are was tainted by irregularities through the planning application process.
They are now raising funds to help finance that battle through local crowdfunding platform Zaar and have set themselves a €5,000 target.
Last month, the PA board approved an application by developer Michael Caruana to build residences, hotel rooms and commercial facilities at the historic Fort Chambray in Gozo.
As part of that plan, the British-era barracks at the fort – the building seen when approaching Mġarr harbour from the sea - will be dismantled and rebuilt in another part of the site.
The decision prompted shock and outrage from activists, historians and other academics, who said the government was facilitating the erasure of part of Malta’s collective memory.
Anger was further stoked when the Culture Ministry argued that the decision to demolish and move the barracks “aligns with the historical vision and architectural principles of the Knights of St. John.”
Decades of no progress
Fort Chambray was first given over for private development in the early 90s. The original concessionaire, an Italian businessman, sold that contract to Gozitan developer Michael Caruana in 2005.
Caruana promised to turn the area into an “international landmark” and the government at the time vowed daily fines if deadlines were missed.
But the area remained derelict and development languished. But instead of revoking the concession, parliament unanimously voted last summer to allow Caruana to sell the concession to a new consortium.
In a statement on Thursday, a group of nine NGOs said the PA was blatantly disregarding Malta’s cultural heritage and politicians were betraying the Maltese people.
“The demolition and dismantling of the British Barracks, which date back to at least 1895, go against the Fort Chambray Development Brief, which clearly states that the Barracks, along with other historic sites within the Fort, are to be retained, restored and conserved,’ they said.
“The British Barracks is the most iconic building inside the Fort that is first seen when approaching Mġarr Harbour from the sea. It is inconceivable that anybody would want to eradicate this image from our collective memory and identity. The proposal not only seeks to bury the façade of the Barracks behind a myriad of dwelling units, but includes a proposal to construct another three storeys over a new building sporting the re-assembled façade.”
They said the PA had ignored multiple requests to grant the barracks planning protection and asked why the PA CEO had decided to force a vote on the Fort Chambray development (PA 3884/23) before a decision was taken on an application to demolish the barracks (PA 2454/16).
“These irregularities seriously call into question the legal validity of the decisions concerning Chambray,” they said.
The NGOs also noted that the government will be contractually responsible for the consolidation works of the terrain underlying the Fort, the restoration works, and the maintenance of the Fortifications.
“What this means, essentially, is that the people have not only been deprived of the right to enjoy their heritage, but they will also be funding the Fort’s restoration to allow developers to make huge profits out of it,” they said.
The NGOs which are taking part in the fundraising effort are:
BirdLife Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Din l-Art Ħelwa – Għawdex
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Għawdix
Moviment Graffitti
Ramblers' Association of Malta
The Archaeological Society Malta
Wirt Għawdex