Council angered by night time work permits

Night time construction work in Birkirara road, St Julians will go ahead over the next two nights, despite the Ombudsman ruling that such works disturbed residents.

The St Julians Council expressed its anger that both Transport Malta and the Building Regulation Office decided to disregard the ruling and “challenge the residents” and the Ombudsman.

Last week, the Ombudsman stated that the Building Regulation Office was “wrong to issue permits to allow the removal of debris” from a construction site overnight.

However, the authorities argued that Birkirkara Road is a “major artery” as a result of the road works in connection with the Kappara junction project.

The council disagreed with this interpretation, insisting that at the current levels of traffic congestion all over the island, every road could be considered a major artery.

The council noted the Ombudsman’s ruling, which stated that when granting permits,  “due regard must be given to the tranquility of the residents at night”.

The Ombudsman also recommended that authorities impose strict mitigation measures and approval in tourist areas, as works to be carried out at night should only take place “under exceptional circumstances and under stricter control”.

The council said it was opposed to night time permits for construction work and accused the authorities of ignoring the alternative solutions it proposed.

They went on to ask how residents are going to be compensated for this inconvenience.