Emergency relief comes to Fort St Angelo 80 years too late

In 1929, the British naval authorities informed the Antiquities Committee about the need to reface the main gate of Fort St Angelo. Yesterday, more than 80 years later, that request was heeded.

The planning authority approved an emergency conservation order filed by Heritage Malta, which is now responsible for the fort in Vittoriosa.

The damage was so extensive that, in many cases, it required the replacement - not reconstruction - of most of the stones forming the gate because they have almost disintegrated after years of neglect, the planning authority board heard yesterday.

The board approved a permit to carry out emergency works by restoring the main gate, repairing the access ramp and reconstructing the vaulted entrance and De Guiral Sally Port ramp, which collapsed.

The nature of the works had been contested by the Heritage Advisory Committee, which did not agree with the "drastic intervention" on the main gate that should be restored with minimal stone replacement.

Ruben Abela, from Heritage Malta, said they had no choice. "This goes against our wishes but we have to do it. The stone is beyond repair. Every week we receive reports about falling stones."

Case officer Marvienne Camilleri also underlined the need for a meaningful intervention. "This situation can't go on. Intervention is needed after years of neglect. Although it would be ideal to use the original stone, a large percentage of the gate would have to be changed."

Ms Camilleri showed a number of photos taken in the fort and revealing the extent of the damage. "The deterioration is very bad. The photos speak for themselves."

Officials of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority could not inspect parts of the site, such as the tunnel beneath the access ramp, because they were declared dangerous and sealed off.

Mepa chairman Austin Walker could not help but comment, after the application was approved, that the work was "80 years too late".

The ramp is the only access point on land to the fort and was severely damaged by heavy and construction vehicles entering the site. Its sidewalls bulge out and many stones have fallen out. Plants are growing in the mortar joints further weakening the structure.

The main gate was rebuilt by the British, replacing a simpler design by the Knights. But over the years, the sea spray reduced the stone to powder, prompting the 1929 request for restoration.

Heritage Malta filed the application last October, a month after The Sunday Times revealed that dangerous cracks had appeared in the vault walls. Architects stuck small sheets of glass across the cracks with an order to evacuate the fort, one of the oldest in the island, should one of the glass markers break.

Then, in the Budget, the government allocated €1.5 million in emergency funds, a stop-gap measure to restore parts of the main gate and the bottom ramp, part of which developed deep fissures.

Left to face the elements and the ravages of time, the abandoned state of the fort has long been highlighted and condemned by the press and heritage organisations, which called on the government to act before it was too late. In November, the planning authority board even carried out an onsite visit instead of their weekly board meetings to gauge the extent of the damage.