Delimara is an enormous fort at the south east end of Malta. it commands the entrance to Marsaxxlok bay, and has been neglected for some time, it would be wonderful to see this fort in use as a tourist attraction, i wish i had the money to do it, its a fantastic piece of history

Here is a replica 38 ton gun in the uk, these guns would look like this, and be fireable !" CLICK HERE "

Fort Delimara could soon be history !

By Claudia Calleja

Timesofmalta 6 august 2009  

Fort Delimara, which has protected Malta's shores for over a century, is in danger of collapse unless urgent action is taken to save the structure.

A spokesman for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) confirmed that the fort was eroding and that the weight of the tower posed a threat to the heritage site in addition to the pounding waves. No planning applications have ever been submitted to remedy the situation.

Fisherman Ray Bugeja expressed concern in a letter to The Sunday Times in which he called for something to be done to stop the damage.

Mr Bugeja, who is the secretary of the National Fishing Cooperative, explained that the rock was wearing away at a faster rate since the Freeport Terminal's breakwater was built in the 1980s. The breakwater altered the natural water path sending a "sea wall crashing beneath Fort Delimara". This created new problems in the nearby Marsaxlokk bay that houses the island's main fishing fleet.

"The most sensible way to tackle the problem is to build a wave-breaking system that would eliminate the threats," Mr Bugeja said.

Fort Delimara was built by the British between 1876 and 1888 and was one of a ring of forts and batteries protecting Marsaxlokk harbour. After being used as a pig farm for about 15 years, in 2005 the government handed the fort over to Heritage Malta - the national agency for heritage.

A management committee was set up to assess the damage to the fort and propose solutions to restore it. But a Mepa spokesman said the committee had not met in about three years.

Heritage Malta CEO Lucio Mule Stagno, who assumed the post two yeras ago, said: "The intentions were good but the plans fizzled into nothing."

Heritage Malta had proposed a public-private partnership but nothing has come of it !

Delimara urgently needs funds, and a patron, if you can help please contact us @ maltasite@btinternet.com

This fort is ripe for preservation, it just needs a little help !