In the early hours of 5 August a notice was affixed to the front door of 7 Church Street in Paceville. It was a notice of planning application dated 10 July and required all objections to be registered by, surprisingly, 5 August.
This of course was a Sunday and difficult to contact MEPA. One can only assume that it was a cynical attempt to avoid any controversy and circumvent the law, and as the premises are earmarked for one of the language schools that is not surprising.
The traders and residents of Church Street, Paceville said: “Giving due notice is we understand a legal requirement and, as we are sure MEPA does not want to be accused of condoning such action we ask
“• That the application is made null and void and a new application made with the correct posting of the notice.
“• Or – The date for objections to be received should be extended for a further three weeks before any action is taken.”
Moreover, they would like to register objections based on the following facts.
• They are currently overrun by students who urinate and vomit on their property, use their gardens as rubbish bins and leave a trail of rubbish and broken bottles in the street.
• The local beach has been destroyed and is now a health hazard with broken glass and rubbish strewn all over the rocks left there by students who spend most of the night drinking and partying.
• The language schools are happy to take the money but do not accept any responsibility for their students. Similarly, the hotels with student residents do not exercise any control. One example, residents say, is the Alexandra Hotel, partly in Church Street. Here students are seen climbing from balcony to balcony on the outside (“We await the first death or serious injury”). They drop water bombs on passers-by and throw bottles into the gardens of the houses opposite. They hold football matches in the street at 3.30 in the morning. The police are not called to deal with the situation.
• Locating apartments plus a restaurant for students in Church Street is dangerous. They inevitably take over the pavements and stand in the road, the busiest through road in the area. This would be another accident waiting to happen.
• If the application goes ahead one will be putting the students in the middle of two restaurants, two bars and a number of private dwellings. “We have already had enough of this invasion as do the tourists who are appalled by the situation and many have vowed not to return to Malta.”
With the schools, hotels and the authorities exercising no control these youngsters are free to engage in underage drinking, breach the peace, littering, criminal damage to the environment and cause general mayhem. In most other countries this would prompt arrests, fines and even deportation but Malta stands by and allows it.
As the last tourist leaves Malta and the place degenerates into a campus for uncontrolled youth, perhaps someone will register a little dismay and realise what has been lost.