Cultural heritage NGO Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna is objecting to the proposed demolition of a World War II defence post in San Ġwann.

In an official objection to a planning application filed with the Planning Authority, the NGO has taken a stand against the destruction of the fortification which developers want to replace with garages and residential units.

“The building is a first-rate WWII defence post disguised as a traditional Maltese rural structure to fit in with the then surrounding rural setting,” the NGO said.

It is also claiming that the post, along Triq Emvin Cremona, was built by royal engineers during the early stages of the war as part of what historians have dubbed the third reserve line of defence from the Maltese coast.

“All such posts were designed as bomb-proof standalone structures meant to resist capture if caught in an air drop zone during an invasion.

“They were intended to act in unison with other similar structures within shot of each other to stop or slow an enemy advance or direct it to a predetermined killing-zone where it would be annihilated by concentrated plunging artillery fire from well-hidden howitzer or mortar batteries,” the NGO said.

The structure itself consists of a windowless ground level rectangular block with an elevated observation turret with horizontal slit-ports all round.

The NGO is insisting that the defence post is an “integral part” of the island’s intricate historic linear defence system and represents the last stage in the evolution of wartime fortifications in Malta.

“Although originally over 200 posts were built as part of this scheme, today less than half survive which makes it all the more important to save and retain this example,” the NGO said.

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