The Nationalist Party on Friday accused Affordable Housing Minister Roderick Galdes of failing to take action for years despite repeated warnings about the dangerous condition of a condemned building that partially collapsed in Vittoriosa on New Year’s Eve.
The collapse involved part of the façade of an abandoned building in Triq l-Antika, which gave way early on Wednesday morning. No one was injured. Parliamentary Secretary Glenn Bedingfield visited the site later that day (photo) and expressed solidarity with residents in the area through a social media post.
In a statement, shadow minister for social and affordable housing Ivan Bartolo said the government had been informed “for at least four years” about the precarious state of the structure but had failed to intervene. He described the inaction as “shameful”.
Bartolo said that warnings had not only come from residents but also from the mayor of Birgu and the Labour local council itself. “Not only did they fail to act, but they ignored repeated calls made by the mayor and even by their own local council,” he said, adding that several formal reports had been filed over the years but were repeatedly ignored.
The opposition MP referred to a series of emails published by NET News which show that Minister Galdes had been alerted to the building’s condition as far back as July 2023. Bartolo said the correspondence included photographs sent by Labour mayor John Boxall.
He also recalled that Galdes had visited the site in 2019 and publicly stated at the time that the building would be restored and converted into social housing. “Yet nothing came of it,” Bartolo said.
According to the PN, despite repeated warnings of imminent danger, the only measure taken by the ministry was the installation of scaffolding around the building to contain falling debris.
Bartolo criticised what he described as the government’s failure to prioritise residents’ safety, arguing that both Minister Galdes and Prime Minister Robert Abela had long been aware of the risks posed by the building. He said the collapse could have had far more serious consequences and warned that other dilapidated properties may pose similar dangers if left unattended.
In a reply, the Ministry for Social and Affordable Accommodation categorically denied the allegations made by the Opposition regarding the housing building in Birgu.
The ministry said that, pending the renovation of the building, a number of preventive technical measures had been implemented to avoid further deterioration and to mitigate any risk to public safety. These measures included the installation of scaffolding along the façade as well as the placement of structural support props, which the ministry said were crucial in preventing more extensive damage, particularly following the severe weather conditions experienced in recent days.
Following the recent incident, the ministry said that an internal investigation is under way to establish what led to the collapse of part of the structure, despite the safety works that had already been carried out. At the same time, immediate interventions were undertaken on site to remove any hazardous material, with further cleaning works to continue and safety measures being ensured for residents in the surrounding area.
The ministry said the building has been uninhabitable and in a state of deterioration for many years, adding that the situation is now being addressed in a concrete, serious and responsible manner.
It added that the ministry’s priority remains the safety of residents and the general public, as well as the necessary intervention to permanently stabilise the building in line with the applicable legal framework.
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