I refer to the comments made by Joe Galea (February 18) regarding the temporary ground rents burdening plots for garages for non-commercial use which we have constructed out of our own pockets as we had been denied the possibility to build a garage with our house when we originally took the plot for our residence.
I fully concur with the arguments brought forward by Mr Galea. We had to follow the plan of the façade as provided by the authorities at that time. If someone dared to amend it, we were given warnings and had to strictly follow the façade plan. If not we ran the risk of losing the plot.
At that time the building of a garage, even basements, together with the house was not permitted albeit the fact that some of us had to fill the foundations to bring the plot to the given street levels. The money used to fill the foundations could have easily been enough to construct a garage.
Since the early 1970s, unlike those of us who took the plot prior to this time, owners were at liberty to construct a house and garage/s, even basements.
When the authorities issued tenders for garage plots under a 50-year lease we had no other alternative but to apply for them in order to garage our car. While we are paying the ground rent on the garage plots, together with the ground rent on the plot on which we had built our residence, owners who acquired the plot after us have only one ground rent covering the garage/s, basement and residence. This is quite unfair on us.
When the housing authorities issued a scheme inviting the owners of these plots to redeem the ground rent on their plots, those beneficiaries who acquired the plot prior to the 1970s could only redeem the ground rent on the residence, and not that of the garage plot.
On the other hand, those plot owners who had built their house incorporating garage/s, basements, etc. could redeem the whole ground rent of the plot at the same preferential rate, irrespective of what was constructed on it.
As frequent requests made to the authorities to allow us to redeem the ground rent on these garage plots have fallen on deaf ears, I also appeal for the intervention of the Prime Minister to adjust this grave injustice and at least treat us in the same manner as those plot owners who had the possibility to redeem the whole ground rent, irrespective of whether garage/s, basement, etc. existed on site.
After all, we were originally denied the possibility to build a garage on the plot, unlike subsequent plot owners.