‘I feel like I bought my first home in a sinkhole’

The owner of an apartment in a new Naxxar residential block metres away from a nearby multi-storey development which partially gave way on Thursday night has described his anger and frustration at the situation and ongoing issues at the block.

The homeowner, who has yet to move into the apartment, sent Times of Malta video footage taken in March showing floor-to-ceiling cracks in his garage within the Garden Square complex, while complaining of long delays to the access road under construction.

Garden Square comprises seven residential blocks with garages and is situated within a vast site subject to multiple planning applications by the same developer, including one to build a sub-station and 129 garages.

A wall collapse at an area of the site earmarked for garages sent authorities racing to the scene on Thursday night and triggered the evacuation of 13 nearby residents. Excavation works at the former quarry have been ongoing for several years.

After complaining to the developer AC Group about the cracks he described as “everywhere” in his garage, the homeowner said that despite receiving promises the issue would be rectified, nothing had been done.

“I can’t express how angry and upset I am – I was planning on moving in soon, but now there is no chance,” the owner told Times of Malta, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He added that other residents had reported being told by AC Group in a meeting with the company that cracks in their garages were “normal” and unrelated to the nearby garage development.

Stressing that he had poured his life savings into the property, the first-time buyer said he felt “like I’ve bought my first home in a sinkhole”, while expressing fears his apartment is unsafe. He said there were a lot of first-time buyers who had bought in the complex.

One-bedroom maisonettes in the Garden Square complex were on sale in February last year for €210,000, with two-bedroom apartments costing around €285,000 and three-bedroom apartments €360,000, according to a price list seen by Times of Malta.

I can’t express how angry and upset I am

Fourth-floor three-bedroom penthouses were priced at between €555,000 and €580,000, while one-car garages were sold for around €45,000, and those able to accommodate two cars were priced at around €85,000.

Explaining that he had planned to move in soon, having recently fitted the apartment with utility connections, the buyer said the apparent structural issues at the nearby construction site had left him with doubts about the timeline for moving in – or whether it would be advisable.

When contacted, AC Group director Anton Camilleri, known as ‘tal-Franċiż’, told Times of Malta he disagreed with the buyer, but declined to comment further.

The Garden Square complex is within a vast site subject to various planning applications – including one to build a substation and 129 garages.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) ordered the evacuations earlier this week “as a precautionary measure” after the foundations of the massive garage development close to the Garden Square complex suddenly gave way.

The incident prompted fears of a possible large-scale collapse and prompted a late-night site visit by Minister for Reform of the Construction Sector Jonathan Attard. The BCA later declared nearby buildings safe.

The homeowner said the developer had blamed delays to the access road on Infrastructure Malta, but when contacted, the agency said remedial works to the pavement and culvert by AC Group were required before it could complete the road.

Infrastructure Malta noted that a recent review by the Ombudsman supported the agency’s stance and found that claims of delays to the road being the fault of IM were unfounded.

The AC Group website describes the complex as “one of Naxxar’s most esteemed and burgeoning developments”, while advertising that residential units will be offered finished and fully insulated.

Part of the Garden Square complex is still under construction. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

A wall collapse at a part of the site earmarked for garages sent authorities racing to the scene on Thursday night. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

Meanwhile, residents living in the vicinity of the garage development and Garden Square complex continue to be concerned about the safety of their homes, with one resident saying yesterday that their young child has been scared to sleep alone since the evacuations.

When Times of Malta visited the area earlier this week, a deep crack, one resident said had been getting worse for years, was visible between the pavement and an apartment building, while others living close by complained of damage to their properties, including cracked tiles and falling soffits.

Residents living close to the site have demanded a written declaration that their homes are safe, while calling for a further assessment in two months.