Planning Directorate officer Marvienne Camilleri told the board that the Environment Protection Directorate (EPD) had cautioned on the total destruction of the healthy sea daffodil colony that seemed to be thriving in the area.

The sea daffodils, belonging to the Pancratium species, are apparently becoming rare and grow in particular ‘sand dune’ environments similar to those in parts of the Fort, scheduled for restoration. While not objecting to the restoration itself, the EPD stated that it did object to the complete removal of the species, indicating patches that could be removed and others that should be retained.

After some debate the restoration was approved unanimously. The daffodils will be transferred to another site in the Fort itself.

The restoration work is part of the development of Manoel Island and the Tignè point areas undertaken by Midi, which was approved in the 1992 development brief.

The decision to build the Fort, originally known as Dragut Point, was taken in 1792 by the Knights of St John. The Fort’s uniqueness and innovative design as well as the fact that it was the last fort built in Malta by the Knights, makes it one of the most important structures for local military architecture.

Apart from the damages suffered over time with exposure to the

elements – especially erosion through salt contamination – the historic site was seriously altered under British rule. The British modified the fort to accommodate the weaponry of the time in a bid to keep it up to date in terms of

its offensive potential on the

surrounding coast.

The damage was aggravated when the premises was converted to a nightclub, with large parts of the interior covered in ceramic tiles and stone features altered or removed to suit the use of the club.

In 1985 a reverse osmosis plant was installed within a metal shed, all of which will be removed with the proposed restoration works.

The Fort is made up of a number of quarters that were treated individually in the restoration proposal. The biggest alteration is the excavation of the original ditch that had been filled in and surfaced some time ago. The ditch will give the fort its intended look with the tower’s entrance connected to the other side by a bridge.

The approval for the restoration of the fort was given pending a number of conditions such as reports that have to be provided to the authority at various intervals during a three-month period. The bank guarantee covering the development of the Tignè point will have to be extended to cover the restoration work.