Hamrun’s illegal kerbside saints await planning blessing

Malta’s ‘build now, sanction later’ mentality seems to have pervaded the entire planning process: even the Planning Authority’s directorate was shocked to learn a local council wanted the light for an illegal monument.

The monument, located on the public pavement along St Joseph High Street, is dedicated to Hamrun’s two patron saints: St George Preca and St Cajetan. But while it was inaugurated in January, a decision by the PA on whether it should be there in the first place still has to be taken.

It is very often that the PA gets to regularise illegally-built agricultural stores or al fresco encroachments on public walkways.

But this case of a council taking liberties has prompted the PA’s case officer to recommend a doubling of the applicable fine for the sheer reason that a local council “should give an example of good governance”.

The case officer was particularly incensed by the fact that the applicant did not even bother to ask the PA to “sanction” the development. In fact, the application is one for “a proposed monument” – the operative word being redundant.

The application was presented in October last year but was only issued for public consultation in February, a month after the monument was unveiled.

Defiantly the case officer is recommending a refusal claiming that the monument has a negative impact on the setting of the area and is not in keeping with the context.  He also objected to the materials used in its construction.

“Furthermore, the monument has already been constructed, although the application does not make any reference to this in any way,” the case officer said.

This would mean that the Hamrun local council would have to remove it.

But the PA’s planning commission, which will decide on the matter, also has a long track-record of regularising illegalities, and indeed it hinted that it intends to approve the monument because there was no objection from the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage.

The 4.6m-high monument consists of illuminated stained glass depicting the two patron saints of Hamrun, on a concrete base in travertine marble cladding. Although located on the public pavement, the monument allows adequate space as passageway for pedestrians.