The Turkish ‘village’ that was being constructed illegally in a quarry just outside Mqabba was intended by its developers to remain in place for at least five years, The Sunday Times of Malta is informed.

The compound was meant to serve as residential quarters for hundreds of Turkish construction workers imported into the island on low wages. However, work has ostensibly stopped after the Planning Authority intervened.

The Sunday Times of Malta has now learnt that the PA had turned down an application for a permit for the development.

The project was devised by local road construction magnates and quarry owners Bonnici Brothers Group of Burmarrad, together with TACA Construction, a large Turkish firm based in Ankara.

Last week, the Times of Malta published a report about what was going on in the Mqabba quarry, as containers were being erected and workers were seen already living on site. Following the report, the Planning Authority sent its inspectors to stop the work.

Describing the ongoing development as “illegal”, the planning regulator said that “it found no evidence that any persons were living there”. It said “the owners of the quarry stated that the tent was intended to be used as office premises and not for residential purposes”.

The newspaper is informed that both the Planning Authority and the government were very aware of the plans to house for the Turkish workers. It can reveal that David Bonnici, one of the directors of the Bonnici Group, submitted an application, through a Direct Notification Order (DNO), to turn the soft stone quarry into a “temporary installation of foreign workers’ quarters for a definitive period of five years and tied to ongoing construction projects in Malta”.

The permit application was presented during Christmas week, accompanied by architectural plans drawn up by Karl Farrugia of Forward Structures Ltd.

The plans, seen by the newspaper, include the transformation of the quarry into a residential compound consisting of large dormitories in makeshift containers.

The sleeping quarters are located within a gated area closed off by high fences, completely segregating the Turkish workers from the local community. There is also a security office, a technical area as well as a kitchen and cafeteria.

Another building in the same quarry, also belonging to members of the Bonnici Group, will serve as an extension to the workers’ sleeping compound, according to the plans.

At the end of last month, the PA told Bonnici Brothers that it would not approve the project. Despite this, the Bonnici Group appeared to go ahead with construction and only aborted the work after the Times of Malta ran the story.

A few weeks ago, The Sunday Times of Malta unveiled plans by TACA Construction to import some 2,500 Turkish construction workers to Malta in the coming weeks to work on massive projects approved by the PA.

The government, through Jobsplus, is facilitating this initiative by fast-tracking permits for third country nationals.

So far, some 300 workers from TACA have started working on the Fortina Hotel site in Tigne, despite the fact that a dispute with the government over part of the land has not yet been settled. It is understood that TACA has also beaten Maltese contractors in the bidding for other lucrative contracts.

TACA has won the City Centre project, a multi-million development through which the Seabank db Group will be turning the former ITS site in St George’s Bay into a mega project including a hotel and a 38-storey residential tower.

Workers on the Fortina site are being paid €4.50 an hour, much below the rates paid by Maltese contractors.

It is not yet known what the relationship is between Bonnici Brothers’ and TACA.

Bonnici Brothers had not returned calls by the time of writing.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat recently made a pitch for the importation of more foreign workers, arguing that they are essential to pay for increased social benefits and pensions.

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