A wall jutting out of a street corner and effectively creating a blind spot for drivers is “required to enclose land which is still not developed”, the Planning Authority has said.

Żabbar residents have long complained about an illegal wall which causes an adjacent road to become a blind corner.

“A seriously bad accident is waiting to happen here,” one irate resident told the Times of Malta.

Despite this, “no one seems to care” about the illegality, the resident added. 

“I constantly worry that I, or even worse, my family could end up having an accident here,” the resident said.

“Cars entering this street are forced to turn blindly because of this illegal wall. Drivers will only see a pedestrian or a car coming from the opposite direction when it is too late to have the necessary time to react.”

My family could end up having an accident

“The sad truth is that someone must get hurt or even die in Malta for action to be taken,” he added.

An enforcement notice on the wall in Triq il-Barumbara dating back to November 2017 had not been followed upon, the resident pointed out.

A spokesman for the Planning Authority, however, said even though the wall was constructed “out of alignment” and was illegal, it was required to enclose undeveloped land.

There was no condition in a permit which required the opening of this street and consequently the removal of the wall, the Planning Authority spokesman said.

“Indeed, the wall was built when the plot of land on the opposite side of the street was developed and the street formed,” he said.