Mepa opts for more polluting option in Siggiewi development - contractor

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has opted to approve the more polluting and waste generating option in a major construction project just off the main road in Siggiewi, the contractor said.

Addressing a news conference on site this morning architect Philip Mifsud said that Mepa had issued a permit for the contractors to use a mechanical saw and cut out the stone from the site in blocks of 1.5 metres cubed for reuse on site, the material being prime quality limestone.

But after some experimentation, the contractors realised that the size was not ideal and they requested a change in construction management plan for the blocks to be 1.2 x 0.6 x 0.9 metres.

This change was requested nine months ago.

Mr Mifsud said this morning that contractors had now decided that they could not keep waiting to develop the 6,000 square metre site of flats with underlying garages and personally went to Mepa asking to be allowed to use a pneumatic hammer.

Rather than produce stone which can be reused, this produced rubble, was more noisy and created more dust and vibration.

But within 30 minutes of the request being made, the authority gave its approval.

Mr Mifsud claimed that the whole problem was due to a neighbour who wanted to make the contractor's life difficult and tried to influence Mepa not to issue the permit.

He said that since work had started again yesterday, neighbours had already started complaining to them personally that it was too noisy.

Neighbours called the offices of timesofmalta.com this morning and said that they had complained to Mepa and the police about the matter. They also said that the dust produced by the operation was making it difficult for them to live in the area.

The contractors appealed to Mepa to reconsider the more environmentally friendly option since they were trying to make use of a resource which was local and finite.

Although the authority was invited to the news conference, no representatives or officials turned up.

Last year, deputy mayor Karol Aquilina said that they commended the initiative for stone to be saved but the contractor had not abided by the regulations.

He had said that no problems had been caused when the large blocks were cut on site, but smaller slabs had created clouds of dust coating cars, forcing residents to close windows and preventing them from hanging washing on the roof.