Floriana housing project at a standstill

A small number of Floriana residents have been living in a "construction site" because of delays in completing a housing project that has been at a standstill for almost a year, mayor Nigel Holland said.

Works on the project, in Triq l-Argotti corner with Triq l-Iljun, at the back of the Curia, started in 2003 but works stopped when the builder's contract was terminated by the Housing Authority which claimed their were faults in the structure, Mr Holland said.

Mr Holland said he had been informed that the authority would issue a call for applications so that another contractor would conclude the works and fix any faults but nothing has happened so far.

Questioned about the delays, the Housing Authority declined to comment.

Mr Holland is mainly concerned about the impact the delays are having on the five families that live close by. After having to put up with the inconveniences brought about by construction, the residents have been left with a dusty, damaged road and an incomplete building.

The project was also important to revamp the area's social fabric.

After the war, Floriana suffered a progressive depopulation and the local council has felt that part of its mission is to repopulate the town.

Floriana councillor Edward Torpiano said he wished that, once the project was completed, the apartments would be given to people originally hailing from Floriana.

Since the building was left abandoned, the ground floor had to be walled up because people were turning it into a dumping site.

Mr Holland said that, in May, he wrote to Social Policy Minister John Dalli, who is responsible for the Housing Authority, asking him to take the project into his hands but has received no reply.

Asked whether Mr Dalli would be taking up the invitation, a ministry spokesman said: "The minister has instructed the Housing Authority board to prepare a brief of all existing schemes and pending issues with a view to mainstreaming and resolution".

The Times put a number of questions to the Housing Authority like: Who was the contractor assigned to the project? Why was the contract terminated? Is the Housing Authority in the process of contracting another contractor to complete the building? Has this contractor been selected? Will the first contractor be held liable for damages due to the alleged faults in the building?

The reply was: "The Housing Authority is not in a position to comment at this stage on the project mentioned in your e-mail".