Yet another summer of dust and noise and sprawling development has greeted tourists this year while draft building regulations were left on the shelf, making sure the reputation of Malta as one big construction site will linger in foreign visitors’ minds.
Finally, environment Minister George Pullicino announced yesterday that the regulations will come into force gradually from 1 November.
The new regulations are aimed at minimising the nuisance factor of construction sites to neighbours – involving mainly dust and noise levels, as well as working hours and conditions – are expected to be introduced gradually over the next two years. But they will not cover safety issues.
The rules are expected to introduce more accountability, as developers will have to exhibit a notice containing details of the developer, the architect and the site manager, as well as an emergency phone number.
Developers will also be expected to deposit a bank guarantee to pay for any damage to pavements and street furniture.
Enforcement of the new rules will be the responsibility of MEPA, and will commence in the localities with the highest number of new developments, besides big projects, eventually extending to cover all parts of Malta.
Four out of the nine of the localities announced by Pullicino yesterday fall under his electoral district: Tas-Sliema, St Julian’s, Swieqi, and Gzira.
They are the localities where the government faces most of the residents’ anger over the chaos and destruction inflicted by the construction industry in recent years, including ruined historic chapels and collapsing houses under construction that also brought down neighbouring buildings.
The regulations will also apply in the Marsalforn area of Zebbug, Gozo, Marsaskala, Mellieha, St Paul’s Bay and Valletta.
Pullicino said redevelopment – the pulling down and reconstruction of existing building – is actually higher than the amount of development happening in new construction sites.
On the other hand, a set of new building regulations, aimed at addressing health and safety issues on construction sites, is still in draft form three years after being tabled in parliament in 2004. The regulations are the responsibility of Resources Minister Ninu Zammit, who has sat on them for the last three years despite repeated fatal injuries at construction sites, including last April Hamrun tragedy which claimed the lives of two construction workers employed by Gap developments when they were crushed under a collapsed roof.
The only legislation so far introduced by Zammit was a legal notice on energy conservation in new buildings requiring every new building to have a cistern. The regulations are however useless as so far, nobody is abiding by it and nobody is responsible to enforce it.