There are on average 30 construction-related obstructions on the streets of Sliema on any particular day, with the crowded Sliema Local Council map showing permits at the show making it obvious why residents and drivers are fuming.

The number includes mobile cranes, skips, concrete mixers and hi-lifters – but not scaffolding - but to add to this misery, there are also seven tower cranes on the roads at the moment, five more already planned and no end in sight.

And those 30 are just the ones that get a permit. Since there is often a one-hour wait – and since permits are not given if they coincide with other obstructions in the area - there are also those who decide to go ahead without one.

Mayor Tony Chircop understands their frustration, but can only shrug: “The law obliges us to assist works once they have been given a Planning Authority permit,” he explained.

“The problem is the sheer number of applications – and to be honest, we have no idea what to expect in the coming years. Permits are valid for five years and we would really like to see a moratorium to allow research into how many permits were issued, how many were already built and how many are still valid. Otherwise we have no way to plan.

“One thing is for sure. As soon as one project is finished, another starts and residents do not get a moment’s peace,” he lamented.

Some areas are worse than others – with Sir Arturo Mercieca undergoing an unprecedented level of activity at the moment and Tigne already a huge headache.

“In the six years that I have been here, there were 10 developments on Pace Street,” he said.

This means the two ladies at the council who process the applications have to painstakingly mark out all the current permits on the A3 map, ensuring that detours do not lead to one-way dead-ends, that the police and wardens are kept in the loop, and that permits on the border with St Julians and Gzira are coordinated with the respective councils.

Oddly enough, the council actually has fewer issues with larger projects (although sometimes only after a massive outcry as in the case of the former Imperial hotel). These often have project managers and measures in place to alleviate dust and inconvenience.

The real problems are cowboys that start work without permits, outside hours, and so on – and once the inevitable complaints start to come in, the council has no idea who to contact to rectify the abuse.

Enforcement is a real concern: the Building Regulation Office only has six inspectors for the whole island, Mr Chircop explained, meaning action is rarely immediate – and the nuisance will have long gone by the time they arrive on site.

Another misconception is that concrete mixers without a valid permit can be told to move on: “The warden can give them a contravention but not make them stop. Only the court can do that,” he said, saying that once a batch of cement was being processed, stopping was not all that easy in practice.

Mr Chircop explained that each stage of a project had its own challenges. Demolition is clearly the noisiest and most dangerous stage, while the building stage tends to be one where there is most abuse, usually because of cutting corners with regards to dust, hours and noise. But even once the project is built, the council still has to contend with the various deliveries of finishing products from different suppliers, and even more suppliers once residents start to move in…

Read: Developers slam contractor responsible for Sliema dust storm

“So you can imagine how residents feel when they live with constant inconvenience and then cannot get a permit to take delivery of a new washing machine because there are already obstructions on their road on that particular week!” he said.

“And when the council decided to use Planning Authority funds to resurface Howard Street and then part of Milner Street, we also had to wait our turn because of other permits already given for the area.”

With his phone ringing constantly with complaints and the queue getting longer at the council, there was more bad news. A report came in that the road was being dug up a few streets away from the council – with no idea who was doing the work.

A warden was dispatched to the site and the relentless work continued.