The Government will be carrying out a drone survey of the Northern Defences. This will provide a record of the existing topography and also identify any man-made structures such as walls, steps or bunkers which still remain concealed under dense foliage and vegetation.

The ongoing works can be considered the most extensive clearing operation to date of a heritage site.

The LiDAR (Light detection and ranging) survey is a harmless remote sensing method that uses rapid light pulses from a near infrared laser to collect measurements. This information will then be transferred into a 3D model of the terrain which will become an invaluable tool to plan further activity. The survey will enable future operations can be directed to newly found heritage assets, identify the condition of cliffs, assist in the planning of firebreaks and quantify the amount of rubble to be removed from key areas.

It will also become a key educational asset once edited, where it can then be manipulated to allow viewers to appreciate the King’s, Queen’s and Prince’s Lines as a three-dimensional model exposing a series of historical layers. This exercise will provide a better understanding of the fortifications through time and their role in supporting the northern approaches to land port gate.

The survey will take approximately two days of data collection and a number of weeks of analysis. While this is taking place, clearing operations at the Northern Defences will continue.

Those works shall consist of clearing out the Forbes DEL (a searchlight position which overhangs the northern edge of the cliff above Forbes quarry), the completion of gabions along the Prince’s Lines, provision of furniture such as picnic tables, benches, interpretation panels and bins before the Christmas holidays. Given this plan, access via Moorish Castle during the coming months will continue to be restricted with alternative access being via Road to the Lines.

The Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia said: “I very much look forward to working together with my colleagues the Minister for Heritage Professor John Cortes and the Minister for Tourism Christian Santos in order to unlock further the full potential of this major tourism and historical asset. This is not something to rush into and it has to be achieved carefully and prudently. The dedication towards this project has not just come from Project Director Carl Viagas, but also the Royal Engineers and numerous other bodies who have given countless hours of their time. The interest shown from our community, visitors, schools and other local and international educational facilities has already made this a flagship heritage project. It is now a question of how can this be operated commercially whilst works continue to take place."