MDA says action taken after Townsquare dust complaint
The Malta Developers Association (MDA) yesterday said that it had taken action over the dust and noise created by the Townsquare project.
ENGO Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) had challenged the MDA to take immediate action to stop its members from subjecting residents to unbearable construction dust, noise and inconvenience.
FAA said last weekend that the Townsquare site “was subsumed in a cloud of construction dust which turned the whole vicinity into a gritty nightmare for residents. This flies in the face of claims that developers are adopting a new approach.” FAA challenged the MDA to come up with realistic solutions, “choosing community over cash, people over profit and health over highrise horrors.”
The MDA, in its statement, said it had informed the Building Regulation Office (BRO) as soon as the it had become aware of the dust caused by the developers of Townsquare, “although these are not yet members.”
“The MDA immediately took the initiative to communicate with the owners of Townsquare, who explained their intention to avoid any inconvenience to the residents in the area. The developers agreed to send a method statement to the association on their intention to excavate such a massive site (circa 12,000 square metres).”
“The owners of Townsquare have also promised to collaborate with the association to continue working to lessen the temporary inconvenience, as they have already done. The MDA would like to thank the FAA for its observation. It can rest assured that MDA does not stop working behind the scenes to ensure that building regulations are observed. There is no way the MDA will defend any irregularities both by its members and non-members, or any works that are not in conformity with regulations and the law.”
In a statement, the project developers apologised to Sliema residents for any inconvenience caused by dust emanating from the site over the weekend and insisted that “every effort is being made to keep such incursions to an absolute minimum.”
“Throughout the excavation phase, which has now been ongoing for the past five months with minimal fuss, the developers have ensured that on site water-spraying features are consistently applied. This equipment dampens plumes of dust as they rise to contain the spread within the site as much as possible, though unfortunately complete success cannot be achieved in windy conditions as was the case in recent days,” the developers said.
“The developers have gone to great lengths to minimise inconvenience for residents during the course of this large-scale project by eliminating the use of pneumatic hammers – the principal cause of noise, dust and vibration – and by applying wheel-washing for trucks leaving the site.”
The developers have also given the same assurances to the Malta Developers Association which has enquired about this occurrence.