Locals say these early morning starts, combined with the aggressive way demolition is being carried out, are causing serious distress — especially among elderly residents.

“This is not just an inconvenience, it’s a blatant disregard for the rules that are meant to protect us,” said one frustrated resident.

Michael Stivala, the company’s director, is also the President of the Malta Developers Association (MDA) — a fact which residents say raises serious questions about enforcement, accountability, and conflict of interest.

He has responded to criticism, refuting the claims that his company’s works have caused damage to neighbouring properties.

“These questions come as a surprise since ST Group had a number of meetings with the owners of the property you mention after they built part of their building illegally, encroaching on our property,” Stivala said.

“We held various meetings with the architect representing them. In the said meetings, both the architect and contractor of the adjacent property admitted they were at fault.”

“We refute that any damage was inflicted by our works that started after the other property was completed.”

Despite the MDA’s own code of ethics requiring members to respect neighbours’ rights and comply with health and safety regulations, residents claim Stivala is openly flouting these obligations.

The Association shared reports of workers seen operating dangerously close to the edge of the crumbling ST Hotel without any safety equipment. Calls made to the 138 helpline — which directs complaints to the BCA and OHSA — have reportedly gone nowhere, with residents “sent from pillar to post” and told that no inspectors are available before 7am.

Even more troubling, residents say BCA officials have at times told members of the public to contact the developer or architect directly, or refused to take action unless a “works method statement” could be produced by the complainant — a requirement the public has no means to fulfil.

“This confirms that these authorities are being used as a screen to hide a total lack of governance,” the Sliema Residents Association said, warning that the system is structured to protect developers, not residents.

Another issue residents also highlighted is the case of Carlo Stivala, who was allowed to continue building extra, unpermitted floors on a hotel in Sliema — an abuse that was later retroactively sanctioned. For many, this is just one example in a long pattern of development violations being ignored or quietly approved.

The issue, residents say, is compounded by the lack of meaningful penalties. Minor fines — if issued at all — do little to deter companies investing millions into large-scale projects. Instead, residents are calling for stronger enforcement mechanisms, including immediate work stoppages in cases of non-compliance.

Commenting on the situation, Isabelle Bonnici said: “We have suffered more than enough under the hands of cowboys and bullies.”

For many in the community, this goes beyond a local dispute — it’s a symptom of a larger systemic failure, where politically-connected developers are allowed to operate above the law while ordinary people pay the price.

What do you make of this? 

Cover photos: Left image, alleged damage to property by ST Hotel project and right image: construction works of Carlo Stivala’s new hotel