The British-period Master Gunner's quarters always sat outside Upper Barrakka's saluting battery, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna chairman Mario Farrugia said this morning.
Allegations that the quarters had in fact been in St Anthony's square just below were "baseless and incorrect", he said.
Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna has obtained planning permission to rebuild the small room, turning it into a miniature museum and administrative space and restoring the saluting battery to its original form.
The NGO has faced staunch resistance from Cafe deux Baronnes owner Martin Baron, whose cafe is set to be demolished to make way for the heritage project.
Mr Baron has filed an appeal with Mepa calling for FWA's permit to be revoked. Documents he had unearthed, he claims, prove that the room FWA want to rebuild was never on the cafe site, but in St Anthony's square below.
But Mr Farrugia this morning revealed his own set of documents, photos and architectural plans to make his point.
He showed journalists blown up photos of the area from the 1920s and 30s as well as British-era site plans for the area. Photos showed two structures – one where Mr Baron's cafe sits today, and another, separate building in St Anthony's square.
One such plan, Mr Farrugia said, dated back to 1923. It clearly marked both distinct structures: one sitting outside the saluting battery and marked 'Master Gunner's quarters' and another in St Anthony's square, labelled 'Guard Room'.
"FWA has been around for 27 years and we've never committed a single gaffe when it comes to cultural heritage. We know what we're doing," he said.
"There is absolutely no correlation between the original Master Gunner's quarters and the site in St Anthony's square, regardless of what some people might be saying."
He said a number of MPs "from both sides" had been sticking their noses into the project to its detriment, "without even having the decency to speak with us and understand the actual project".
The FWA's proposed project, he said, would create Malta's largest military history park and bring in considerable tourism revenue. Access to Grand Harbour views would not be impaired, he said.
"Only the saluting battery will remain closed and require payment. The general public will be able to enjoy the Grand Harbour views for free, together with explanatory billboards, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day."
Mr Baron has alleged that the project is actually a roundabout way for Mr Farrugia and FWA to rake in extra revenue from weddings and other receptions.
Mr Farrugia rejected this outright. "The actual building will be a museum, not a wedding hall. Receptions are a headache for us. If we could, we would do without them. But we have to raise money somehow, and if we didn't hold the odd event, ticket prices would skyrocket."