Tigné residents were kept in the dark on the danger posed by excavation works in Tigné despite the issue of a danger order to the Fort Cambrige developers to conduct works to prevent the collapse of Tigné Street, in Sliema.
A spokesperson for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority confirmed that excavations on the Fort Cambridge site could have resulted in the destabilisation of Tigné Street and the existing hotel barracks.
For this reason, on 16 October 2007, MEPA received a request from the architect of the Fort Cambridge project to carry out rock stabilisation works on site. The request was made during the excavation process which is covered by a permit, which exposed a system of faults that traversed the site.
“These faults could result in the potential destabilisation of Tigné Street and the existing hotel barracks,” a spokesperson for MEPA told MaltaToday.
On 29 October, MEPA gave clearances for these works through a removal of danger order according to legal notice 258/2002.
MEPA denied that residents were exposed to any danger which would have required their evacuation. “The potential danger was only related to the street and hotel barracks,” the MEPA spokesperson said.
Neither was MEPA obliged to inform residents. “Legal Notice 258/2002 does not oblige the Authority to inform third parties.”
Labour candidate and local councillor Martin Debono reprimanded MEPA for not warning residents of the impending danger. “The confirmation of this dangerous situation shows that MEPA knew about the danger and kept mum about it placing Sliema residents in danger.”

jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt