Diggers at the Townsquare construction site in Sliema will soon go silent, with the company saying it is temporarily suspending excavation work out of respect for homebound residents. 

Residents in Sliema and elsewhere have complained to local councils that incessant construction, excavation and demolition noise is wearing them down as they remain indoors due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The complaints had led the mayors of Sliema, St Julian’s, San Ġwann, Swieqi and Gżira to write to Planning Minister Aaron Farrugia and ask that construction hours be shortened for the duration of pandemic restrictions. 

Developers’ lobby group MDA had subsequently said they would agree to shorten construction time, provided affected workers were made eligible for government grants to compensate them for their loss of income. 

Townsquare Sliema has now said they will temporarily halt works at their site. 

A spokesman said on Saturday: “Over the past couple of weeks, we have limited our activity to essential piling and rock anchor works, which we will now finish off, but there will be no more excavation for the time being. We recognise that many of our neighbours are in isolation and the continuation of works would only add more stress to an already difficult situation. 

“We felt this action was the right thing to do in these challenging circumstances. We would like to thank our contractors, Polidano Brothers Ltd, for supporting our request. We wish everybody well and look forward to being able to resume works when the situation allows.”

Excavation for the high-rise Townsquare project first began in late 2017 but was brought to halt after a successful appeal forced the company to go back to the drawing board. The Planning Authority approved the company’s revised plans last June and excavation resumed in January. 

Residents with any queries about the project can contact the company by e-mail on info@townsquare.com.mt or call 2133 1560.