The yard in Gżira where three coaches were extensively damaged by fire in the early hours of Tuesday has no permit to operate as a garage and the building has had an enforcement order on it since 2004.
Residents who live in the same street have been reporting the illegal activity for years to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the Gżira local council.
The metal beams supporting the existing illegal yard roof expanded in the fire and dislodged the bricks of neighbouring retaining walls. Residents confirmed that it was through the dislodged bricks that smoke from the yard fire initially entered their property.
"We feel helpless because all our complaints throughout the years have fallen on deaf ears," a resident said.
The fire broke out at about 2.30 a.m. and the police evacuated people living in the neighbouring houses as Civil Protection Department personnel controlled the flames. No one was injured in the blaze.
Mepa issued the enforcement order in July 2004 after the owner of the plot turned the site into a parking lot for heavy vehicles and roofed the area without a permit. No direct action was ever taken to rectify the situation.
This state of inaction by Mepa led one of the coach owners to believe that there was nothing wrong in parking the three coaches in the garage.
"The permit was not issued because we wanted a higher roof but nobody ever came and told us that we could not park our coaches here," Emmanuel Mifsud, the owner of one of the burnt coaches said.
When asked why they kept operating from the garage even though it was illegal, Mr Mifsud answered: "Where do you want us to keep our coaches?"
Mr Mifsud is the brother of site owner Joseph Mifsud, who also owned a coach.
In February 2005, Joseph Mifsud applied for a permit to construct a garage to park four coaches in it. The application was turned down by Mepa.
The refusal to issue a permit was confirmed in 2006 and 2007 after two appeals lodged by the applicant were turned down.
A third appeal against Mepa's original decision was due to be heard yesterday but was postponed. An official at the Mepa Appeals Board said the postponement had nothing to do with the fire.
Gżira mayor Chris Bonett would not comment on the incident when contacted yesterday.
"At this stage it is premature for the local council to comment on the fire given there is a magisterial inquiry under way," he said.
Mr Bonett, who has been mayor for the past 18 months, insisted no complaints by residents about the yard were forwarded to him during this period. "If there were complaints along the years they were before my time in the council. I have only been here for 18 months," he said. Mr Bonett confirmed that one of the Mifsud brothers provides the Gżira local council with a refuse collection and skip service.
"Once again, the contract for refuse collection has come down through the years. But I need to make it clear that the yard in question had nothing to do with the waste collection service provided to the council," Mr Bonett insisted.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com