The developers of the Ħamrun construction site that may have caused the fatal collapse of Miriam Pace’s home did not provide the Planning Authority with a commencement notice before kicking off excavation works on the site.

In a social media post that has since been deleted, the PA said that it “was not informed that the works had commenced”.  The works, they said, had only started recently.

A spokesperson at the PA has now confirmed the claim with The Times of Malta.

According to construction law, anyone carrying out works on a development must submit the commencement notice at least five days before starting. This, sources explained, is done so the PA could adequately schedule enforcement on the property.

The PA said that it was to “ascertain that works are being carried according to permit” but was not required to in this case “considering that work involved initially was the removal of existing structures.”

Miriam Pace was killed when her house in Ħamrun collapsed as a result of works at the ongoing construction site.

The architect, Roderick Camilleri, who is also a shareholder in the development and the author of the risk-assessing method statement, had declared that a collapse of nearby buildings was “minimal”.

Six people have been arrested, including Camilleri, the site technical officer Anthony Mangion, excavation and demolition contractor Ludwig Dimech.

The Ħamrun construction site is owned by a development consortium, MCZMC Developers Limited. The company is made up of Malcolm Mallia, Matthias Mallia, Elton Joseph Caruana, Amanda Muscat, Christopher Zarb, Simon Zarb, and the construction site’s architect Roderick Camilleri.

Mallia is also a council member of the MDA. He has since been suspended from his role.