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6 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 7 FEBRUARY 2025 NEWS THE Coalition for Gozo, with the backing of environment and heritage NGOs and hundreds of citizens, among whom emi- nent academics, historians, and artists, has submitted a request for an Emergency Conservation Order for the British Barracks at Fort Chambray. This comes after requests for the scheduling of the 19th cen- tury building made by the Coa- lition for Gozo were repeatedly ignored. The Għajnsielem Lo- cal Council is also supporting the request to grant scheduling protection to the barracks. The failure to schedule the British Barracks made it possi- ble for the Planning Authority to approve their demolition on December 12, 2024, paving the way for the development of the mid-18th century fort built by the Knights into an aparthotel and apartments. The NGOs stressed that the British Barracks should be pro- tected for their historical, archi- tectural, cultural and typologi- cal value. The two-storey building fea- tures repeated arched doorways and openings, creating a rhyth- mic and continuous façade. It overlooks the Gozo channel, commanding spectacular views of Comino. In their request for an Emer- gency Conservation Order, the organisations have stressed the importance of protecting the barracks as they are unique in Gozo, and also because they are among the first, or even possi- bly the first, example of married quarters in the British Empire. The building was constructed entirely in Globigerina Lime- stone by the same master ma- son who was entrusted with the construction of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ta' Pinu. Research carried out by Din l-Art Ħel- wa – Għawdex shows that the Chambray Barracks date back to at least 1895. A late 19th century Admiralty map of Gozo held at the Na- tional Archives of Malta shows that Fort Chambray's British Barracks were already on plan in 1895. In view of the fact that most of the British barracks build- ings in Malta have been grant- ed scheduling protection, even when they are not as historic as the Fort Chambray British Bar- racks, the exclusion of the only British barracks in Gozo from such protection remains per- plexing. All historical elements and sites within Fort Chambray had been scheduled back in 2005, but the scheduling of the British Barracks was left pending. This was done to facilitate the demolition of the barracks to accommodate the development of Fort Chambray into a resi- dential and commercial com- plex. The NGOs also criticised the misleading narrative, propagat- ed by the developers and their architects, that the interior of the building was significantly modified during the 1980s, and that consequently, only few au- thentic British elements of the structure remain. However, research conduct- ed by the organisations shows that the internal layout has re- mained practically untouched after 129 years. A comparison between the architectural drawing of the original plan made by the Brit- ish and the plan of the build- ing in its current state shows that the modifications made are minor. The NGOs said that the Brit- ish Barracks should be protect- ed not only for their historical, cultural and architectural value, but also because they can easi- ly be incorporated into a more sustainable plan for Fort Cham- bray. "This could be a win-win sit- uation: history restored, pre- served, and repurposed for sustainable tourism and Gozo's cultural enrichment," the state- ment read. "The British Barracks build- ing can be restored to serve as a historical interpretation cen- tre or a community or cultural hub. The need to safeguard our historical heritage must come before any interest to generate private profits." The statement was signed by BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħel- wa, Din l-Art Ħelwa – Għaw- dex, Għawdix, Wirt Għawdex, Friends of the Earth Malta, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Moviment Graffitti, and The Archaeological Society Malta. NGOs, academics, and citizens urgently demand protection of Fort Chambray's historic barracks APPLICATIONS for 'Other Ap- plicants' for admission to Church Schools in Malta and Gozo for the scholastic year commencing in Sep- tember 2025 will be accepted online until Thursday 13 February and from Thursday 20 till Thursday 27 Febru- ary 2025. There is a total of 840 vacant places for students (771 in Malta and 69 in Gozo). Applications for asylum seek- ers will be accepted in March. Details on the number of places filled with applications received on 'Criteria One', processed by the Sec- retariat for Catholic Education last November and December, can be found on Church.mt. The Church Schools' admission process in Malta determines admis- sion to the first year and second year of kindergarten, the first year of pri- mary and the first year of secondary. Admission to Church Schools in Gozo will be in the first year of kinder- garten and the first year of secondary. Gozo applications will be accepted at church.mt/gozoapplications. For more information regarding the applications, visit Church.mt or send an email to admissions@maltadio- cese.org. A breakdown of vacant places in Church schools in Gozo Applications for admission to Church schools in Malta and Gozo In their request for an Emergency Conservation Order, the organisations have stressed the importance of protecting the barracks as they are unique in Gozo, and also because they are among the first, or even possibly the first, example of married quarters in the British Empire.

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