NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa said that the Qolla l-Bajda Battery in Qbajjar, Żebbuġ, Gozo will have a physical fence installed to keep passersby safely away from the structurally unsound heritage site.

In a statement published on Sunday, the NGO announced that it has come to this decision to fence off the fortification following repeated instances where groups ignored the signage, CCTV cameras, and onsite wooden barriers to keep people away from harm's way.

Din l-Art Ħelwa Għawdex had cordoned off the Battery's frontage and installed "clear danger signs and installed round-the-clock CCTV" after corrosion within the concrete beams caused a roof beside the western blockhouse to rupture during this year's Easter period.

While no-one was beneath the roof at the time, the NGO took it upon itself to keep people away in case other roofs similarly cave in and potentially bring down the Battery and façade walls.

The NGO said that "despite these precautions, [it] had to repeatedly call the police to move people holding barbecues right beneath the walls."

On Saturday night, CCTV footage showed this happening once again through a barbeque organised by the Gozo University Group, the NGO said.

Din l-Art Ħelwa was able to view this recorded CCTV footage afterward, since a mobile connection failure prevented any live monitoring.

"Although benches stood well away on the dirt road, students were repeatedly recorded directly beneath the façade walls," the NGO said, "One of the wooden barriers cordoning off the area in front of the façade was also removed, though replaced when the students left."

Following this weekend's incident, the NGO asked, "If university students disregard clear danger signs, how can we expect others to heed them? Did the organisers realise the danger to which they exposed their fellow students?"

It noted that the death of 22-year-old Mirabelle Falzon on 19 July 2024, following a wall collapse at the Riħama Battery in Munxar, off St. Thomas' Bay, "is a tragic reminder of the consequences."

Din l-Art Ħelwa said that the decision to install a physical fence will detract from the Qolla l-Bajda Battery's appearance and will also divert funds away from its restoration, "but preventing another tragedy must come first."

It appealed for people to respect the barriers and warning signs.

It said that it is working hard for restoration works at the three-centuries-old site to commence "as soon as possible."

The guardianship over the Grade 1 scheduled Knights' era battery, which dates back to 1715, was entrusted to Din l-Art Ħelwa by the government "after more than two decades of neglect" earlier this year.

This 10-year guardianship deed made the NGO responsible for all necessary restoration works, at its own expense, for managing the battery as a visitor attraction, and in ensuring public access once works are completed.