That Malta is a perennial building site is something that we have learnt to live with. The number of cranes ever present on our roads – much to the frustration of drivers – is a constant reminder that the building industry in Malta is flourishing.

But, as in everything else, there is another side to the coin. In Malta, there is still a large number of houses and buildings that are not inhabited, and are basically left to rot. And so, as our buildings grow taller and become more modern, there are still several buildings, in particular in the inner towns and villages, which have no people living in them.

Another aspect of the building industry is the plots of land that are privately owned that are not developed. Driving around, one can see many such plots, some of them in between other buildings.

Most of these plots are not closed off, and are accessible to all. Apart from the fact that they are an eyesore per se – as in most of them all types of vegetation grows without any control – these often are quickly converted into dumping sites. The Maltese unfortunately seem to prefer to dispose of their waste in open places – in this case private property – rather than make use of the bulky refuse service that is available.

This, of course, leads to complaints from other people living in the neighbourhood. These open plots are an attraction to stray animals, not to mention rats, apart from being ugly sights in themselves. Yet, until now, little could be done to force the owners of these plots of land to build boundary walls, although the law does lay down that undeveloped properties should be closed off.

This is about to change, for the better.

Last Sunday, Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino announced that local councils will be able to apply for funds from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to build walls closing off such undeveloped properties.

In due course, when the owners want to develop that piece of land, they would have to pay for the cost with interest. Unless they do so, no permit for the development will be issued by Mepa.

This is a step in the right direction, from all angles.

First of all, it will encourage owners to carry out the work themselves, rather than wait for the local councils to do it for them, because ultimately the cost the owners would incur would be higher, especially if they allow the interest to accumulate over many years.

Secondly, local councils will have the right to do the job if the owner cannot be persuaded to do it himself. In this way, they will be playing their part in keeping residents in the same road happy.

Thirdly, the closing off of undeveloped plots will mean that eyesores are eliminated from our roads. It is here suggested that the walls are perhaps painted with some colourful graffiti to make them look better – there is one such wall on the Sliema front that could be taken as an example.

Fourthly, the boundary wall will stop people from dumping their unwanted waste in other people’s property, and one hopes that it will not lead them to dispose of it in public places elsewhere. There are ways and means how one can dispose of unwanted material, and such services should be used more and more.

What remained unclear from the minister’s speech is whether the money generated through the interest that will have to be paid by the property owners will go to Mepa or the local councils. Perhaps the sharing of the “profit” made would be an incentive for local councils to take the initiative.

It is hoped that local councils will take up the offer on a wide scale. They would be doing a great service to the residents and to Malta in general.