Squatters have until February to leave Fort Bengħajsa as government claims back ownership

Lands Authority takes steps to evict squatters from Birżebbuġa’s Fort Bengħajsa in bid to return historical building to the public

Fort Benghajsa in Birżebbuġa was rented out to three tenants between the 1970s and 1990s and despite the termination of leases, it continued being occupied illegally
Fort Benghajsa in Birżebbuġa was rented out to three tenants between the 1970s and 1990s and despite the termination of leases, it continued being occupied illegally

The Lands Authority has issued an eviction order to squatters who have been illegally occupying Fort Bengħajsa in Birżebbuġa for years, Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said.

The Lands Minister said the squatters have until the end of February to leave the historical building.

Zrinzo Azopardi said once the eviction is complete, the fort will be closed and placed under surveillance pending the removal of illegal structures added over the years. The fort will eventually be opened to the public.

“The Lands Authority and other entities have undertaken the necessary steps to regain possession of the fort in an orderly way within legal parameters,” the minister said.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela, speaking in Birżebbuġa, said the government was taking steps to regain possession of Fort Bengħajsa to return it back to the public.

The first steps to return the fort back to the State were taken in 2011 when the government stopped accepting rents from three tenants.

The fort was used for animal husbandry activities and the rearing of cows and bulls since the early 1970s. Part of the fort was rented in 1973 for an annual €93. In 1981, another plot was rented out for an annual €177 while a third plot was rented in 1996 for an annual €419.

Despite the termination of rents 14 years ago, the fort remained occupied illegally.

Fort Bengħajsa was built in its unique pentagonal style by the British between 1910 and 1912 to protect Marsaxlokk Bay. The fort was abandoned by the British in the late 1970s.