Editorial: A country held hostage by greed

Joe Farrugia’s brief interview with Times of Malta on Thursday expressed the country’s hopelessness and helplessness with the relentless construction industry. He was speaking just hours after his Sliema property was damaged by a neighbouring project.

The company responsible for the damage belongs to Michael Stivala, the head of the Malta Developers’ Association – further evidence that those meant to set an example are instead leading the charge in reckless development. Instead of apologising for the incident, Stivala claimed irregularities in the victims’ property. You simply cannot make this stuff up!

It is another glaring example of Malta’s shameless free-for-all building practices where developers act with impunity, and residents live in fear.

For years, the construction industry in Malta has operated like the Wild West, with little regard for safety and regulations, while neighbours are treated as mere inconveniences. 

We all know that the minute that Planning Authority application notice is hammered on a building façade signals months on end of distress for neighbours and potential damage. 

By its nature, construction is disruptive. Dust, noise, and inconvenience are inevitable. But what is happening across Malta transcends the expected nuisances of development. Entire neighbourhoods have been transformed into construction war zones, with towering cranes blocking roads and foundations recklessly dug next to standing buildings.

Barely a day goes by without reports of construction accidents, violations of safety protocols, and near-misses. 

The needless deaths of Miriam Pace and Jean-Paul Sofia should have been turning points, forcing the government and regulatory bodies to take decisive action. Yet, here we are.

The Buildings and Regulations Authority has proven to be yet another government quango – ineffective with those who flout the rules. Instead, the authorities seem happy with empty rhetoric and gestures, such as offering Sofia’s mother, Isabelle Bonnici, a token role in a helpline, rather than making substantive changes to prevent further accidents and tragedies. 

The needless deaths of Miriam Pace and Jean-Paul Sofia should have been turning points, forcing the government and regulatory bodies to take decisive action. Yet, here we are

Bonnici herself summed up the collective frustration on Thursday: “Will next week be business as usual for the ones with fat pockets and fully detached homes while some of us cannot even rest or feel secure in our modest homes? Who is going to care?” The painful answer is clear: no one with the power to change things seems to care.

Malta’s planning laws are failing us. Developers are aware they can push ahead with projects that violate regulations, knowing that the worst they will face is a risible fine. A mere €1,500 penalty for illegally blocking a road with a tower crane? A fine of just a few tens of thousands for illegally adding extra floors to a luxury building? 

These amounts are insignificant to developers making millions, and they know it. The Planning Authority, rather than acting as a regulatory body, has become nothing more than a Permits Authority, rubber-stamping applications which have defaced our country. Meanwhile, the rest of the country is busy petitioning against destructive projects. 

The overdevelopment is not just affecting urban centres like Sliema and St Julian’s; even Malta’s traditional villages, like Mġarr and Safi, are now under siege. 

The government and opposition remain largely silent, unwilling to take action, lest they lose the political and financial support of powerful contractors. Ironically, it was new political party Momentum which came up with the sensible idea of taxing vacant properties to try to curb more new buildings.

We cannot continue living in a country trapped in a vicious cycle of greed, negligence, and destruction. 

All of us, residents, civil society and the media must raise our voices louder than ever before to ensure that our homes, our communities, and our lives are valued above the interests of a few.