Environmental lobby-group Flim-kien Għal Ambjent Aħjar has called on the government to draw up a national restoration strategy as Malta's stone heritage continues to show signs of deterioration.

"In the space of just five days Malta has experienced two major heritage setbacks: the closure of Fort St Angelo due to dangerous structural cracks and the collapse of a section of the Floriana fortifications. Neither of these was an overnight development," the FAA said.

It added that the deteriorating situation at Fort St Angelo had been known and highlighted in the press for some time. However, Heritage Malta lacked the funds to carry out the necessary large-scale restoration works. The questionable decision to build a hotel on the flank of Fort St Angelo had exacerbated the damage to the Knights' entry ramp not built to support heavy vehicles.

These, it added, were not isolated cases, as parts of Fort Ricasoli too seemed to have been abandoned to the elements while parts of Fort St Elmo were in an advanced state of deterioration.

The NGO asked what had become of the Committee of Guarantee chaired by President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, which was set up to coordinate the work of Malta's heritage protection agencies.

It also asked why the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and the Mepa Heritage Management Unit had been kept so short of staff that they were unable to carry out their duties properly.

"With 60 kilometres of bastions and the citadels of Valletta, Mdina and Gozo all in various stages of deterioration, the Maltese islands urgently need a national restoration strategy."

This would allow those technically competent in the field to draw up a plan of action focusing on the most urgent works to start with and then moving on to other heritage sites in dire need of restoration or a facelift in an organised and coordinated manner, the FAA said.