Several citizens and seven NGOs filed a judicial protest against the Lands Authority calling upon it to enforce the conditions of the contract entered into between the Government and DB San Gorg Limited Company regarding the ITS Site. The contract requires the developer to “restore” the St George’s Barracks which is a Grade 2 scheduled building.
Despite this clear contractual obligation, the scheduled building is being demolished with only a wall and a coat of arms being retained. This is in clear breach of the contract and constitutes a loss of national architectural heritage.
Moreover, the contract stipulates that any discoveries of antiquarian or archaeological importance must be notified to the competent authorities, and that the Government shall have certain rights over such discoveries. Archival research carried out by experts has shown that plans of an underground Cold War bunker exists on site. However there is no record of this being notified to the authorities as stipulated by contract and this research had to be undertaken by NGOs and brought to the attention of the public by NGOs.
The protestants called upon the Lands Authority to enforce the contract and to preserve the country’s heritage.
The seven organisations filing the judicial protest are:
Din l-Art Helwa, Ramblers Malta, BirdLife Malta, Friends of the Earth Malta, Moviment Graffitti, Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar and Bicycle Advocacy Group
