The Hamrun local council has rightly called for a palace in the town to be made inaccessible and the relevant authorities should take up this issue.

Unfortunately, Malta is a compact island as are its villages, cities and towns.

This leads to vacant property being slap bang in the middle of an urban area and this can also lead to abuse.

The Hamrun council said the palace in question, in Atocia Street, is used as a dumping ground and also as a haven for drug abusers.

The building in question is a protected one and cannot be demolished, as are other such buildings, including well-known landmarks, such as forts, towers and the like.

While we understand that certain buildings are of historical and cultural value, we cannot have a situation where they are simply scheduled to be protected, but at the same time left to rot.

Apart from the invariable damage that is incurred by the buildings in question, they obviously do become a safe haven for drug users, dumpers and also for a relatively not well-known issue in Malta – squatters.

At the very least, the authorities should make sure that if there are no funds available to rehabilitate these buildings at present, they should be boarded up and entry restricted.

The reasons for this are various and the most important that comes to mind is the curbing of drug abuse.

The type of drug users who look for such properties tend to be heroin addicts as it is a downer drug where the user just wants peace and quiet.

This leads to addicts seeking out such abandoned places to abuse heroin, creating a hazard of used syringes being strewn across the floors of such buildings.

We need not even touch on the dangers that used syringes can pose to children, who might obviously see the big deserted palace or building as a great adventure. A syringe may arouse the curiosity of a child and just one pinprick can cause a great deal of anguish and

suffering.

Secondly, we must also look at the welfare of a drug user – it is not inconceivable that someone can overdose and die with not a soul around to see them and call for help if they need it.

Of course, there is also the danger that such majestic buildings are vandalised and even become targets for arsonists. Apart from the dangers they pose, such buildings are unsightly and can make a well-kept street or area look shabby, simply by just being left in a dilapidated state.

We seem to be changing our ways when it comes to restoring our old buildings, but we must also look at the social safety aspect. While some will argue that a number of these buildings will be restored in the near future, people should not have to live with potential hazards on their doorsteps.

In addition, they should also not be subjected to

having to live in an area where drug abusers congregate simply because a building is accessible when it should not be.

The answer is simple, just board up such buildings and make them inaccessible until there is enough money to restore and rehabilitate them.