The Malta Environment and Planning Authority's 'inaction' over irregularities on a project at Paris Road in Birkirkara has promted Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar to question whether certain developers and architects are given preferential treatment by authority officials.

Residents of Paris Road, also known as Triq Iż-Żernieq, and FAA representatives yesterday joined forces to express their disappointment at the situation during a news conference held near the construction site. The project consists of a car showroom, offices and apartments on the road linking Valley Road to Paris Road.

Residents said they were not opposing the actual project, but questioning the "irregularities" through which the developer was building outside the designated area and eating into parts of Paris Road, which was public property.

They explained that rock excavation had cut into more than seven feet of the public road and well beyond the official building line to the extent that it had even exposed the drainage and water pipes which ran down the middle of the road.

FAA spokesman Astrid Vella said Mepa had recognised certain irregularities in the project but, as far as the NGO was informed, no action had been taken to remedy the situation.

The residents explained that they brought their concerns to the attention of the Birkirkara mayor, Mepa and the Malta Transport Authority but their calls were ignored.

The residents also organised a petition. On a positive note, Ms Vella noted that the FAA had received a lot of cooperation about this case from the Environment Ministry.

"The Birkirkara council gave the developer permission to close Paris Road, an act which also shut off access to a private garage. This road has been closed since last June and has obviously aided the developer to take over more land unnoticed. When six residents met with the Birkirkara mayor about this, they were told the road had to be closed because it could collapse since it was built on clay.

"In spite of the fact that residents pointed out it this was not the case and that the road was in fact built on solid rock, it was not re-opened," Ms Vella said.

In a statement, the residents outlined several other irregularities that included a large interconnecting shelter as well as another underground structure found under Paris Road, which were extensively damaged. They said that most of the pillars of the project were built outside the building lines established by Mepa; and parts of the Ashlar wall that was to be preserved had collapsed.