FAA hit out at Housing Authority’s ‘developer zeal’, calls for rehabilitation of ‘heritage neighbourhoods’

“While Fort St Angelo’s restoration gets €10 million for urgently-needed repairs… it is regretted that other heritage areas are being destroyed instead of being rehabilitated. The demolition of a whole area of old Bormla is being planned in order to make room for a social housing project. What has become of the Housing Authority’s enlightened programme of some years ago to rehabilitate old buildings rather than building new stock?” spokesperson Astrid Vella said.

FAA are saying that with over 76,000 empty units available, other solutions can be used for social housing rather than “wholesale destruction” neighbourhoods that can be rehabilitated as heritage areas and “enhance Malta’s touristic potential as is done overseas”.

Vella said that the Housing Authority’s developer zeal has already caused the destruction of a whole row of Msida’s original old urban houses, demolished to make way for new housing instead of being rehabilitated.

“Although these houses suffered from seasonal flooding, this problem is due to be solved by the major flood relief project being undertaken, which would have made the old houses’ rehabilitation more viable.

“Instead, MEPA has downgraded this area from its previously protected Urban Conservation Area status and permitted the infringement of the Police Law establishing the height of buildings in relation to the width of the street. This means the old vernacular houses that lie behind the project are to be engulfed by tall buildings a few metres away from them as happened on the opposite side of Msida Valley. Have we learnt nothing from the misguided Valletta slum clearance projects of the 1970s?” Vella said.

She added that it was condemnable that tons of old stone, such a precious raw material, are being discarded instead of being recycled, and that the clearance was contravening basic EU regulations on disposal of construction waste.

“The stonework is mixed with iron pipes and building hardware which developers are obliged to separate before dumping. Dust prevention measures set out in the Environmental Management of Construction Site regulations are also being ignored. Where are the construction site enforcement officers? Do they turn a blind eye to infringing Government projects which should be the ones to set the example?” Vella said.