Excavation works in St Julian’s, which led to numerous complaints by residents and the local council, must stop by Monday evening, a government department said.
The works in Sacred Heart Square, right opposite the police station, are part of a development project being carried out by Cortis Group of Żebbuġ. The project consists of a multi-purpose residential and commercial complex substituting a block pulled down in recent weeks. Two shops that formed part of the old structure still stand and will be included in the new project, which incorporates the restoration of the historic Villa Fieres.
Though by law (LN 295 of 2007) no demolition or excavation works are allowed in designated tourist zones such as this during the summer months (between June 15 and end of September), excavators were still on site this week.
Residents who contacted Times of Malta but wished to remain anonymous questioned whether the works in progress breached the rules, intended to mitigate inconveniences caused by the construction industry.
They also pointed out that, last year, the authorities had stepped in to halt trenching works on the other side of the square as these were being carried out in breach of the summer ban.
Contacted by this newspaper, a spokesman for the Building Regulation Office, a government entity tasked to enforce LN 295 of 2007, said an eight-day temporary exception was granted. It was also pointed out that works were allowed to continue as, otherwise, the site would pose a safety hazard. However, the spokesman insisted no excavation works would be allowed after Monday.
This assurance was also given to St Julian’s mayor Karl Gouder who told Times of Malta the council had been inundated with complaints.
When contacted by this newspaper, the developer pledged to abide by the deadline.
Meanwhile, the Malta Tourism Authority, which designates the zones where the ban applies, said a complaint filed on this particular case had been forwarded to the Building Regulations Office.
An MTA spokesman said they were “not entertaining” any exemptions from this ban, even though it had received several requests.
The MTA clarified that, although it had not granted any exemptions, the agency ultimately responsible for enforcement of the legal notice was the Building Regulation Office.