The Sliema local council was not informed of recent works on the site of the former Imperial Hotel that went on until 3am, the Times of Malta has learnt.
Council permits were not required, since construction work was to be carried out inside the building, leaving residents and council members in the dark about the late-night excavations.
“My reaction and that of the council is one of frustration at the state of affairs that developed on that night,” Sliema council secretary Matthew Dimech said, adding that the situation was unacceptable.
Residents said that the police had been contacted at least three times, but to no avail.
“They disregarded my calls, while the bowsers continued to prevent us from sleeping,” one resident told the Times of Malta.
Sliema police told the residents that the works were permitted to continue so they would not obstruct traffic in the morning, leaving residents in the area awake to allow them to finish.
The base of the Imperial Hotel has been shattered and refilled with concrete.
Works in the area have ceased to continue through the night.
The Building Regulation Office (BRO) told a Sliema resident that circumstances “beyond anyone’s control prevented the office from stopping the works”.
Works on the hotel have been ongoing since March. In January, the Planning Authority gave the go-ahead to take down part of the Imperial Hotel and turn it into a home for the elderly.
The €15 million development has so far seen the demolition of part of the existing building and an excavation within the site to construct parking spaces.
Despite the construction work taking place inside the building, the debris ended up on the porches of homes in Rudolph Street, residents said.
The home for the elderly is set to include 165 rooms and 104 parking spaces, taking up a total of 3,950 square metres.
The council and heritage NGOs criticised the demolition of the hotel, which opened in 1875. The council later withdrew its objection after plans were altered to include a step-back design in the building.
Meanwhile, the one-off incident will not be investigated by either the Building Regulation Office or the local police, this newspaper has learnt.