Construction sites are, at best, controlled chaos.
A whirlwind of activity, they teem with workers clambering over scaffolding, manoeuvring heavy equipment in tight places, and handling electrical wiring. When your neighbourhood becomes a building site for a grand development project, your life is seriously disrupted.
The building craze shows no signs of diminishing despite the government repeatedly claiming it focuses on people’s quality of life. Every town and village in Malta is affected by ongoing building projects, even in the historic core, destroying their charm.
The Sliema residents are arguably the most affected by ongoing construction projects in the town core. This week they reacted angrily to the closure of a busy side street, which has been blocked to allow for the installation of a large crane by mega-developer Carlo Stivala.
The justified complaints of this neighbourhood’s residents were ignored. The Sliema local council, the Planning Authority and the developers failed to reassure the residents that their interests were safeguarded while this project progressed.
This type of laissez-faire mindset affects residents in every Malta town and village. The tradition of no comprehensive urban planning standards is endemic.
It is also clear evidence that there is no political will to implement sensible regulations to protect construction workers, the residents living near development projects, the cultural and historic environment of the neighbourhood, and people’s right to a clean environment free from construction dust and noise pollution.
Most residents look up to their local councils when they suddenly discover that their neighbourhood will soon become a building site.
The reality is that local councils have, by political design, been deprived of any authority to address residents’ concerns. They have become little more than glorified public relations offices for central government that provide information that is often easily available online.
The large number of accidents on building sites confirms that the enforcement of health and safety regulations is often a low priority for developers and enforcement authorities.
Factor in the physical toll of repetitive tasks and the unrelenting pressure to meet deadlines, and it is no wonder construction sites, especially those in built-up areas, transform into zones of potential disaster.
An added headache for residents is that construction can strain the local ecosystems by limiting car and pedestrian accessibility, encroaching on parking areas, and increasing air and noise pollution. All these factors are detrimental to the health and well-being of ordinary people.
Most importantly, due to the authorities’ and contractors’ continued disregard for mitigation measures like hoarding, residents are unfairly subjected to long months, if not years, of inconvenience and distress. Is this fair?
Things must change if the political authorities want to prove they have the political will to put people’s well-being on their agenda. The tone has to be set at the top of the government, followed by the PA, the health and safety watchdogs, local councils and contractors who must abide by sensible, enforceable civic regulations.
The lack of integration between new developments and the local community creates anger and frustration.
If the government truly cares about people’s well-being, it must prove it, not with empty promises but with action.
A system that prioritises profit over people is doomed to breed resentment, lawlessness, and potentially, disaster.
Until real urban planning reforms are enforced, Malta’s residents will continue to bear the brunt of reckless development, trapped in a never-ending cycle of noise, dust, and indifference.
How much longer must communities suffer before the authorities finally listen?