Th Building Regulations Office received 25 requests from architects for excavation and demolition works to continue in tourism zones beyond the June 15 deadline, according to sources.

The majority of these - 18 - were for Sliema, of which only eight sites are still being worked on, due to cease in the coming days. Most of the other projects - two in St Paul's Bay, and one each in Marsascala and Marsaxlokk - needed a few more days and have since been made dormant until the end of the 'blackout period'.

However, two sites in St Julian's, precariously positioned on the edge of Birkirkara Hill, need further surveys and studies, and a minor intervention needed to return a restored painting to Senglea church will probably also be allowed, the sources said.

"Architects apply to the BRO - as the guarantor of third party property - if they feel that to leave the foundations exposed could result in damage. So they ask for more time, mostly just a few days, in order to finish this work and stabilise the foundations. The BRO does go on site to verify the situation and in some cases, it did not agree with the architects' assessment," the sources said.

The Sliema council complained that architects were using the argument that a site was 'dangerous' as a way to circumvent the ban.