The Minister for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici and the Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Alison Zerafa Civelli visited the restoration work being done on the Bastion of San Ġwann and the -Baroque door in Bormla. This project is part of a much larger project that looks at the restoration of a substantial part of the Cottonera Lines and the Margherita Lines, from the Bastion of San Paul to the Sur of San Klement and the Bastion of Notre Dame.
The value of the works being carried out on the Sur of San Ġwann and on the Baroque Gate amount to €500,000. It is planned that these works, which started in August 2021, will be finished by the end of this year.
Minister Owen Bonnici, in his intervention said that, “Through this work an electoral promise is also being fulfilled. We are not going to stop building on our commitment to cultural heritage because in this way we are safeguarding the patrimonial heritage of our country.”
Parliamentary Secretary Alison Zerafa Civelli praised the work done by the workers of the Restoration Directorate and said that thanks to this investment the cultural heritage is being preserved for future generations. “This, while enhancing the touristic value of the surrounding localities,” concluded the parliamentary secretary.
The Chairman of the Cottonera Foundation Glenn Bedingfield said that, “Through this work we are seeing the Cottonera Strategy being carried out and it is now reaching the localities bordering the three cities. We also want regeneration for the people and that is why we are preparing plans for the open spaces around the forts to be new spaces that can be enjoyed by people.”
The architect in charge of this work Ivana Farrugia explained in detail the intervention that was carried out. She said that in the original plan the intended intervention was limited to the restoration of the face of the tower and that of the Baroque Door. “After damage caused by storms during last winter, the work was extended to also cover the platform located on the sur, which platform is also the roof of the casemates located along Triq San Ġwann t’Għuxa ,” said Architect Farrugia.
Architect Farrugia went on to explain that the interventions included removal of invasive vegetation; the consolidation of the original stone surface; the replacement of deteriorated stones; the temporary lifting and reconstruction of unstable areas, and plastering. Now that the restoration of the tower has been completed, the works are focusing more on the restoration of the Baroque Door.
