Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541318
4 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 14 NOVEMBER 2025 NEWS DIN l-Art Ħelwa has expressed strong opposition to plans to commercialise the histor- ic Qbajjar Battery in Gozo, a Grade 1 scheduled monument of national importance. The proposal includes the sale of the Battery along with adjacent salt pans and surrounding land. Din l-Art Ħelwa Executive President, Patrick Calleja, said the fortification, built for the defence of the islands, "belongs to the Maltese and Gozitan people" and should be pre- served for cultural, educational, and community purposes, not private profit. The NGO has campaigned for over 20 years to restore and manage the Battery un- der a guardianship deed, a le- gal framework allowing herit- age sites to be maintained by non-governmental organisa- tions for public benefit. Din l-Art Ħelwa was first promised guardianship in 2007 and again in 2021, when the then Minis- ter for Culture, Dr José Herre- ra, authorised the process to begin. Despite submitting a compre- hensive restoration proposal and feasibility study to the Su- perintendence of Cultural Her- itage, the Lands Authority has repeatedly blocked the transfer. Din l-Art Ħelwa has highlight- ed the Battery's ongoing decay, describing it as "a monument at risk of total loss" after years of neglect. The organisation has also worked with the Żebbuġ Local Council and the UK National Trust to develop plans for con- servation and community use, which are now under threat from commercialisation. "Our only aim is to safeguard and open this historic site to the public and future genera- tions," Calleja said. "This Grade 1 monument has already suf- fered during previous commer- cial use and cannot withstand further interventions for pri- vate gain." Din l-Art Ħelwa is calling on the Minister for Lands and Cul- tural Heritage to reconsider the decision and instruct the Lands Authority to release the site for guardianship, allowing its res- toration and management for the benefit of the nation. Enviromental NGO opposes commercialisation of Qbajjar Battery Qbajjar Battery (Photo by Daniel Cila)