PN pushes for National Geological Office after Santa Venera evacuation
Office would be 'key pillar of modern construction governance' alongside Single Construction Law
A National Geological Office should be set up to strengthen prevention and scientific understanding of “what lies beneath our feet”, the Nationalist Party said on Tuesday as it also called for a Single Construction Law.
In reaction to Sunday’s evacuation of six families in Santa Venera, the Opposition reiterated its call for a National Geological Office responsible for collecting and maintaining national geological data, and creating a centralised subsoil database.
The office would be a “key pillar of a modern construction governance system” based on prevention rather than reaction.
It would be tasked with analysing risks linked to excavation and foundations, providing technical guidance to authorities and professionals while contributing to safer and more sustainable planning and construction, the PN added.
On Sunday, the Building and Construction Authority ordered a precautionary evacuation of residents from two apartment blocks in Triq Misraħ il-Barrieri after damage was noticed linked to works at a construction site.
The project’s architect, Anthony Robinson, told a public meeting on Monday that although no excavation works were being carried out on the site, it is quite likely that vibrations caused by piling works may have disrupted loosened material in the foundations of properties several doors down from the building site, prompting the evacuation and emergency works to secure one property deemed to be at risk.
“This incident once again highlights the importance of strengthening prevention and scientific knowledge about what is happening beneath our feet,” the PN said on Tuesday.
They added that a geological office would not only represent an investment in health and safety, but also in preventing and reducing long-term damage and costs, increasing certainty for investors and third parties, and improving overall project quality.
“With stronger scientific knowledge and coordination, our country can move towards more responsible development, better planning and higher standards in project design and execution – particularly in a context of urban densification and increasingly intensive excavation,” the PN said.
They insisted that a country with a construction intensity as high as in Malta, “cannot continue without a national scientific infrastructure that understands, monitors and guides the use of its subsoil.”
The PN also urged a Single Construction Law should be adopted delivering “one integrated, preventive legal framework regulating construction throughout its entire lifecycle”.
“Within such a framework, geology and scientific data would not be an optional add-on, but a fundamental part of decision-making before works begin on site,” the PN said.