I wish to take a break from the ongoing saga regarding Franco Debono and the PL vote of no confidence that has dominated the media in this past month. By this morning we would all have already known the outcome of the vote

I would like to share an experience with your readers when I was called in by a number of residents in a St Julian’s area to object on a particular permit. The applicant wanted to turn what was called a family stay house into a 26 bed hostel, the house hosting what are supposed to be students in a host family atmosphere. That means students sit down and eat, watch TV or converse with the host family.

This house passes its drainage into a neighbour’s cesspit. These so called foreign students, brought over even through a dedicated website, have no bus stop nearby, no facilities, but just a very small road with difficult access, highly prone to accidents. These students disturbed the peace, already in 2011, by their outside activities on the premises.

The parking problem is acute.

So the application for a hostel gets filed and an appointment was given for a decision. I attended only to find out that the hearing had been held in the morning, without informing the objectors. What a timely coincidence.

After an objection, it was reappointed and this time, the day and time was adhered too. Notwithstanding that the local council objected, a people’s representative objected as I went on site, the neighbours who live there 24/7 objected, three officials on this board ignored completely the basic element.

It was disgusting, hearing three members who never bothered to see the place, and who did not know what and where we are talking about, but bothered only to find a way where the application does not go against any clause of the local plan. It did not even cross their closed minds that the hostel went against the neighbourhood friendliness. They made a mockery of Mepa and what is stands for. No reform will ever stop these incidents.

It was a rape of three streets in St Julian’s, of virgin residential homes that, thanks to Mepa, have had their lives ruined.

Mepa does not stand any more to safeguard what is correct. You must see the body language, how uncomfortable these persons were when pronouncing the rape of streets in St Julian’s.

They should feel ashamed and resign, such was their arrogance.

Ruining peoples’ lives and getting it stamped by Mepa, is evil. Pushing the standard of people’s lives down, ruining their comfort they strove to attain, probably downing their property value, surely rests on three shameful shoulders.

It reminds me of Kappara and its overgrown school.

When residents’ rights are trampled upon, somebody must speak up.

Robert Arrigo is a the parliamentary assistant in the Finance Ministry