E-NGO opposes commercialisation of Qbajjar BatterY

Din l-Art Ħelwa has expressed strong opposition to plans to commercialise the historic 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 preserved for cultural, educational, and community purposes, not private profit.

The NGO has campaigned for over 20 years to restore and manage the Battery under a guardianship deed, a legal framework allowing heritage sites to be maintained by non-governmental organisations for public benefit. Din l-Art Ħelwa was first promised guardianship in 2007 and again in 2021, when the then Minister for Culture, Dr José Herrera, authorised the process to begin.

Despite submitting a comprehensive restoration proposal and feasibility study to the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the Lands Authority has repeatedly blocked the transfer. Din l-Art Ħelwa has highlighted 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 conservation 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 generations,” Calleja said. “This Grade 1 monument has already suffered during previous commercial use and cannot withstand further interventions for private gain.”

Din l-Art Ħelwa is calling on the Minister for Lands and Cultural Heritage to reconsider the decision and instruct the Lands Authority to release the site for guardianship, allowing its restoration and management for the benefit of the nation.