A group of proactive Senglea residents have set up a residents’ association with the aim of involving the community in decisions that affect the locality and address a number of issues that they say are making residents unhappy.

Association President Joe Abela said SeRA aims to become the voice of the Senglea community and will be taking action on issues such as excessive noise pollution, parking problems and general cleanliness.

The renowned historian said one of the most troubling issues was the noise generated by weddings held at the Gnien il-Gardjola, which often last until the early hours of the morning. Mr Abela argued that, while the law stated that loud sound had to be turned off 11pm, weddings often continue well into the night.

Weddings held at the garden also added to parking problems as the already limited spaces are taken up by guests. The association president insisted that events held across the water in Valletta, especially at the Upper Barrakka Gardens, also compounded the noise pollution problem.

“On one occasion we had one wedding at Senglea, another at the Saluting battery, and a boat party in the harbour. Can you imagine the noise that residents had to endure?” Mr Abela said several petitions had been gathered in the past but the resident’s cries have always fallen on deaf ears. “One of the main problems is that when we complain to the police they tell us that they can do nothing because the event would be covered by a permit. It does not make sense to give people a permit to break the law.”

The association, he said, also plans to discuss the issue of drainage seeping into the sea, cleanliness and construction sites, where environmental laws are regularly ignored. Residents feel that many decisions that affect their wellbeing are being taken without their participation and involvement and many issues with a social and environmental impact are not being addressed. Certain concerns go unresolved for years or are temporarily resolved but change whenever the police superintendent, the mayor, the archpriest or the chairman of an entity is replaced and previous agreements fall apart.

SeRA also plans to encourage residents to respect their neighbours and how and where to report problems.

The first issue that will be raised by the association, association spokesperson Anna Spiteri explained, is the ferry service to Valletta. Ms Spiteri explained that the ferry initially ran from Senglea to Valletta but now only operates from Cospicua. She feels that Senglea residents should also benefit from the service and the boat could pick up passengers from the locality along its journey to the capital. A meeting will be held with all stakeholders with hopes of reaching an amicable solution.

“One of the association’s main aims is to bring people together to discuss these issues and reach a solution together. We also want to empower the residents to approach the authorities. We will always discuss with the relevant authorities but we also want to show that we mean business.”

The association members spoke about Senglea’s historic past and insisted they wanted to rid the locality of the bad stigma it suffers from and instill pride in the residents once again.

Mr Abela said he was encouraged by the number of people joining the association. SeRA will be holding face to face meetings with all the public and private entities that play a role in Senglea to affirm its existence and explore how it can ensure that decisions that affect the residents are taken according to the existing laws and regulations and, most importantly, in the interests of residents.

It also plans to make a list of existing laws and police codes and circulate them to the residents to inform. It will inform them, for example, that while permits may be issued for certain events, the law states that loud music should cause a nuisance to the residents.

SeRA, which has just been registered as an not-for-profit organisation, has launched a new website - www.senglea-residents-association.com – on which it intends to keep residents updated with all developments related to the locality. 

Photos: Jonathan Borg