Fort Chambray, the imposing fortress that has slowly been turned into a centre for property development, may continue losing its original character as its owners have filed a planning application for the construction of a seven-storey tower and a hotel, claim Alternattiva Demokratika.
Sources told The Malta Independent that this news has long been coming, particularly since a large part of the fort is already built up.
The developers proposed the demolition of the fort’s only remaining historic building, although Mepa’s Heritage Advisory Committee (HAC) recommended that the barracks should remain untouched.
The HAC’s board minutes, found on the Mepa website, indicate that the committee expressed concern over the project’s negative visual and structural impact on the fortress.
The committee opposed the excessive building density of the proposed project and the construction of the “massive” hotel and the high buildings.
The HAC also expressed its disapproval of the construction of the penthouses that the developers proposed to build on top of existing buildings at Fort Chambray.
In a statement issued yesterday, AD said: “Originally, Fort Chambray was intended to house small-scale residential units, but it is now being exploited in the most obscene of ways.”
AD said the planning application includes a proposal to build additional floors to the existing buildings, demolish the barracks and construct a seven-storey tower and a five-storey hotel.
Ironically, the website of Fort Chambray Ltd refers to the fortification as “an old city, within a fortress, in Gozo, an unspoilt island in the Mediterranean”. Certainly, an old city in an unspoilt island.
The short description of the fort goes on: “The site was intended to be a fortified city built by the Knights of the Order of St John 250 years ago for the protection of the island’s inhabitants. It is now a prime development project which will accommodate your every need.”
Notwithstanding expert studies commissioned by Mepa itself, stating that the building density at the site would be exaggerated, Fort Chambray is being turned into a private estate, said AD.
The party secretary-general and spokesman for Gozo, Victor Galea, said the government is contradicting itself by saying that the environment is one of its main pillars, while at the same time trying its best to make sure that a number of projects are quickly pushed through on the eve of the general election.
AD deplored Mepa’s attitude of being strong with the weak and weak with the strong, saying: “It is bad enough that the authority sanctioned the rape of Fort Chambray. It is now also going against its own development briefs.”
The fort’s architectural and historical context is being ignored, as happened in a number of other projects on land transferred from the government to private enterprises without the issuance of tenders, said Mr Galea, adding that land is now being treated as a cheap commodity.
The second most important Gozitan fort after the Citadel, Fort Chambray has already suffered extensive damage, said the AD spokesman.
Ralph Cassar, AD environment spokesman said: “Building a five-storey hotel and a seven-storey high tower on such a fortification is simply unacceptable. Gozitans still care for our patrimony and Gozo deserves better”.