The Gozo Citadel is to have its own master and conservation plan which will form the basis of all future interventions on this historical site, a news conference was told yesterday. Funding has recently been secured under the EEA financial mechanisms with the Gozo Ministry already having set up a working group to draw up the necessary tender for carrying out the required studies.
The master plan will provide guidelines for a more effective and sustainable use of the site, for the safeguarding of its historical aspect and the promotion and further development of the Citadel’s economic and cultural potential. Restoration works and the improvement of existing facilities will be carried out within this framework, while effective management, including traffic management, will be addressed in light of the recommendations resulting from this plan.
The project was launched yesterday at the news conference given at the Citadel by Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono.
Ms Debono spoke about the importance of the Gozo Citadel as a heritage site and as a tourist attraction. She explained that the ministry had submitted an application for funding under the EEA financial mechanisms towards the end of 2005, with the application having been formally approved in February this year. 85 per cent of the total project value of E301,500 will be provided by this fund.
The ministry has since set up a working group made up of representatives from the ministry, the Resources and Infrastructure Ministry, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, the Malta Tourism Authority and Heritage Malta. The working group is presently formulating the terms of reference required for the publication of the necessary tender for the studies to be carried out.
Ms Debono said this project included a wide consultation process that would take place with all those involved, so that the various needs and requirements of this historical site would be addressed from the start of the project. The analysis of the different needs and requirements was expected to be completed in 2009. In the meantime, the government would be applying for further structural funds under the European Union’s 2007-2013 budgetary period for more extensive structural works to be carried out at the Citadel.