Report calls for preservation of St Peter’s Battery

“A preliminary report has been prepared as a basis for discussion with Smart City (Malta) but no decision has been taken yet,” a spokesperson for MEPA told MaltaToday when asked about the report.

MEPA refused to divulge details on the contents of the report but MaltaToday is informed that the report accepted the recommendation of the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage to protect the battery from demolition.

In October 2008 when issuing development permit for Smart City, the MEPA board postponed taking a decision on this issue, by appointing a committee to decide the fate of the battery.

The committee was composed of the developers, the Planning Directorate, the Superintendence for Fortifications, and the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage, with a remit to decide on this issue.


St Peter’s Battery, part of Malta’s ground defences during World War II, was originally earmarked for demolition to make way for 77 villas set in a 42,000 square meter rural site outside the boundaries of the former Ricasoli industrial estate.

In a joint position submitted to MEPA in 2008, the two heritage watchdogs made it clear that the battery should be considered as “historical monument commemorating World War 2” and therefore should be preserved in its entirety.


“It should be emphasised that Maltese soldiers lost their life in this place while serving the country, and the battery should therefore be regarded as a monument in their remembrance.”



But the developers insisted that only three gun emplacements should be preserved. They have also presented a structural survey showing that practically all the buildings on the site are in danger of collapsing, after long years of neglect and lack of maintenance when the place was used as a cow farm and exposed to the corrosive influence of cow dung and urine.