According to figures published in the Central Bank of Malta’s 2017 annual report, the number of building permits issued by the Planning Authority shot up by 242 per cent to 8,513 for apartments and by 208 per cent to 919 for maisonettes in the five-year period to 2017.

This leaves no room for doubting whether the construction industry is having its way to the detriment of all those who have to put up with noise and dust pollution and traffic jams due to road closures, to mention just someof the inconveniences brought about by the frenetic building activity. In just five years, the total number of building permits rose from 3,064 to 9,822 (+6,758 or +220 per cent).

Surely, this rate of growth is unsustainable.

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