Watch: ‘Is This Legal?’ – Midnight Private Construction Works Wake Up St Julian’s Residential Road
A number of neighbours were rudely awoken in the early hours of last Tuesday due to private construction works taking place along a residential road in St Julian’s.
Videos sent to Lovin Malta by two different neighbours residing along Triq l-Mrabat and Triq Birkirkara in St Julian’s depict disruptive works being carried out between 11pm and 5am.
The first video was shot at around 1am, while the second video was taken at around 3.15am, when the works were still occurring.
“Is this legal? They had a permit until 5am, keeping the entire neighbourhood up! This is the 3rd time in less than a few weeks that they were building or demolishing in the middle of the night!” one of the neighbours told Lovin Malta.
The other neighbour recounted how there were many loud noises that did not allow them and their flatmates to sleep throughout the night.
“I called the police at night in St Julian’s and they stated that they cannot do anything because they had a permit. Despite what I told them about the excessive noise they refused to take action and they blamed the local council,” they said.
The resident also attempted to reach out to the Local Council the morning after, where they clarified that the permit was issued by Transport Malta because they had to block the road.
“I remarked that it is understandable if they work on the road at night, but it is not fair they carry out loud noise at night in construction sites.”
“In the end, the local council blamed Transport Malta saying that they do not have control over that, but this should have never happened and it is frustrating it is happening again!”
“Malta is beautiful and it is a pity for us that we cannot sleep at night and undergo torture because somebody wants to work at night,” they lamented.
Lovin Malta reached out to PN Councillor Sean Gauci, who spoke on behalf of the St Julian’s Local Council.
“As a Local Council, we understand and empathize with the frustrations expressed by our residents regarding the recent issuance of works permits during late hours. It is essential to provide clarity and context surrounding this decision,” Gauci said.
“The permit was granted between 11pm and 5am due to strict regulations imposed by Transport Malta.”
“This specific area is a main road that services public transportation, compelling the local council to adhere to Transport Malta’s guidelines, which prohibit road closures before 11pm while public transport services are still operational.”
“Although the applicant initially requested a morning permit, the timing could not be approved before 11pm according to Transport Malta’s regulations.”
“As a Local Council, we wish to emphasise that the council’s authority to issue permits is strictly governed by the parameters and guidelines set by Transport Malta. Whilst we fully understand the valid concerns of our residents and the impact on their sleep, our options were limited due to these regulatory constraints.”
“We have also been informed that the applicant intends to apply for a similar permit on May 15/16, which may result in a recurring situation.”
“We assure you that we are actively engaging with Transport Malta to explore viable alternatives and minimize disruptions to the best of our abilities. We highly value the feedback and concerns of our community, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and accountability in our decision-making processes.”
“Going forward, we will continue working closely with residents, to mitigate any adverse effects. We sincerely appreciate your understanding as we navigate through these challenges together,” he assured.
Do you think a line should be drawn that would make sure private construction works do not take place in the middle of the night?
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