Visitors and commuters are forced to wade through dangerous obstacles, dust and potholes as the makeover of Valletta’s Castille Square takes place ahead of November’s Commonwealth summit.

The €1.6 million revamp, announced in March, was a rushed project from the start with the planning watchdog giving the green light through a simple development notification order (DNO).

Every day, thousands of tourists descend on Valletta to get a glimpse of the capital’s historic gems, but instead they are in for a dusty surprise, with no forewarning of the works ahead.

There are no signs anywhere apologising for the major inconvenience the project causes – people have to navigate thick pipes and wooden boards – nor directions for how to get to the city centre or the Upper Barrakka Gardens.

And when temporary signs are put up, the information is not always right. 

Ariadne Massa reports.

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