Approved: Gozo’s Fort Chambray Barracks Will Be Demolished Ahead Of Aparthotel Development
Gozo’s Fort Chambray British barracks will be demolished as part of a development plan which includes a five-star hotel and apartment complex.
The controversial demolition – which had been at the forefront of many activists’ calls for appeals and refusal – was just approved by the Planning Authority.
Beyond the demolition of the historic barracks, the redevelopment plans for what would replace it were also approved during today’s PA sitting.
The aparthotel, residential units and commercial facilities were included in an application filed by Gozitan developer Michael Caruana on behalf of Fort Chambray Ltd. The full development includes 105 residential units and a five-star aparthotel with 50 apartments and 64 ensuite rooms.
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Yesterday, NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa appealed the PA’s decision to refuse the scheduling of the fort, but even with that and over a thousand objections, the project was still recommended for approval.
Meanwhile, the redevelopment proposal promised that the barracks’ facade will be built elsewhere within the fort… despite the fact that, according to the Malta committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), this does not meet the requirements for good conservation practice.
The controversy surrounding Fort Chambray goes back 31 years. In 1993, a 99-year concession for the fort was granted to Italian lawyer Roberto Memmo and his Fort Chambray Ltd, but construction had ground to a halt due to a lack of funding. In 2004, Calypso Hotel owner Michael Caruana was given the project by the government. Caruana transformed the fort into luxury apartment and a residential area, but after a bipartisan parliamentary committee unanimously agreed to amend the fort’s 99-year concession, Caruana was then also able to sell it to a group of unnamed investors.
“The Chambray Barracks date back to at least 1895, built by the same master mason who built Ta’ Pinu,” NGO Moviment Graffitti wrote yesterday ahead of today’s meeting. “The barracks are still in a very good state and can easily be restored. We will not remain silent while our heritage is destroyed for the profits of the few. The fight continues.”
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