I wish to congratulate the Kamra tal-Periti for the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett cruise held on Sunday, October 8. Stephen C. Spiteri provided an expert historical and descriptive commentary on the fortifications.
Yet despite their magnificence, those present could not help noticing the neglect that many of these structures have fallen into. Most critical of all however appears to be Fort Ricasoli. The image shows a collapsed corner of a bastion salient on the Grand Harbour side. The section of the fort facing the open sea is apparently much worse.
While the Resoration Unit have carried out a conservation exercise on the curtain wall near the main gate, this seems to have been a one-off intervention. Are there no funds available to proceed, or to at least carry out emergency works on Fort Ricasoli? And in the long run is there any chance that this fort might benefit from some kind of planning gain obtained from the Smart City project?