Extensive upgrades to Fort Hamilton are under way, with the historical site closed at present for the City of Hamilton’s Fort Improvement Project.

The proposal, which planning department officials recommended for approval in December, includes adding an events facility as well as renovations to the fort and its walls.

Fort Hamilton was built by the British in the 1870s, with other hilltop fortifications at Prospect and Langton.

They were land defence forts designed to repel an army approaching the island’s capital — with Fort Hamilton also commanding a strategic overlook of Hamilton Harbour as well.

The fort never saw combat and has been maintained as a site of historical interest, popular with visitors to the island.