The fourth International Conference on Defence Sites, Heritage and Future will be reconvened in 2018 in Malta following the success of the previous conferences which started in Portsmouth, UK (2012); followed by the Arsenale di Venezia, Italy (2014) and the last meeting at the University of Alicante, Spain (2016).

Redundant defence sites offer a range of opportunities to planners, architects and local communities to redevelop large areas, bringing new life to often neglected parts of towns. The opportunities are common to many countries and the papers to be presented at the conference will stress this common feature and help to share experiences of the transformation of defence sites to civilian uses around the world.

The conference objective is to raise the knowledge of the scale, design and functions of defence sites. It will bring a better understanding of the issues raised by their redundancy and the implications of different disposal processes for the land.

The re-use of defence sites also raises questions regarding the need to recover contaminated land which can have far-reaching legal responsibilities and environmental consequences.

Another aim of the conference is to discuss the need to achieve sustainable development which involves issues related to maintenance and conservation, as well as built and natural environmental controls, while responding to the needs and aspirations of the community.

Papers presented at previous Defence Heritage Conferences as well as all other meetings organised by the Wessex Institute since 1993 are freely available in the WIT elibrary (www.witpress.com/elibrary).