Updated at 6.10pm with pictures

Activists stormed Fort Chambray in Gozo on Saturday, calling for the historic fort’s return to the public. 

Chanting “Give us back Fort Chambray”, a group of activists broke into the  bastioned fort in Għajnsielem, which has been closed off to the public for years.

The protest was carried out by three Gozitan NGOs - Għawdix, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Wirt Għawdex - along with Moviment Graffitti. 

Back in July, a parliamentary committee unanimously agreed to allow extensive areas of Fort Chambray to be transferred to new investors.  

MPs from both sides of the house approved changes to the original 2005 concession that effectively means that the original concessionaire - Gozitan businessman Michael Caruana - can sell the concession to a group of unnamed investors who are reportedly in negotiations over the site.

In September, Din l-Art Ħelwa produced a publicity video to press its argument that Fort Chambray should be saved from demolition. 

Din l-Art Ħelwa insists that the 1898 building is still in a salvageable state and should be fully preserved and restored.

This message was emphasised on Saturday when activists said the historical fort should be enjoyed by the public and restored, and not handed over to  developers, who will use the site to develop a "cheap aparthotel and blocks of apartments".

Moviment Graffitti's Andre Callus asked how is it acceptable to sell Malta's historical culture to developers so they can benefit. 

"Who will truly enjoy this new development? Not you and me, but the small group of people who have no respect for us or our culture," he said. 

Moviment Graffitti's Andre Callus addressed activists and NGO members on Saturday before breaking into Fort Chambray. Credit: Moviment Graffitti

The latest plans presented for the third phase of Fort Chambray’s development are proposing the demolition of the historical barracks and the construction of an aparthotel with 64 rooms and 50 serviced apartments, 105 residential units, and two levels of underground parking with 319 garages. 

Despite many requests from the Gozitan organisations for their scheduling, the barracks will be partially dismantled and demolished to accommodate the development. The Knights’ Barracks will be turned into retail outlets, restaurants and other facilities. The Knights’ Polverista, a historic and unique architectural structure, will be transformed into a bar, while the Naval Bakery is set to become a clubhouse.

Controversy over the land at Fort Chambray has now entered its third decade, when back in 1993, Italian businessman Roberto Memmo was the first to be granted a 99-year lease for the land. 

The transfer of land took place under a cloud of suspicion, later becoming the subject of a 1998 book authored by eventual Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who alleged irregularities in the award of the concession.

Activists stormed Fort Chambray on Saturday, calling for its return to the public. Credit: Moviment Graffitti

Memmo’s plans to turn the site into a hotel, develop 236 residential units and transform the barracks into a commercial centre languished for years, with the government eventually terminating the agreement and transferring the land to Caruana in 2005 for an amount believed to be in the region of Lm3.7million (roughly €8.6million).

At the time, Caruana told Times of Malta of his plans to turn Fort Chambray into an "international renowned landmark", with then- Minister Austin Gatt reassuring parliament the developers would face daily Lm100 (€233) fines if they did not stick to stipulated timelines, with the government holding the right to dissolve the contract. 

Almost two decades on, parts of the 17th-century fort lie derelict, with sections appearing to be at risk of collapse.

Two planning applications filed last year to demolish 63 unfinished apartments and to construct a hotel and more apartments appeared to reignite plans for the site.