PN Żebbuġ councillor Daniel Cordina has insisted that a boundary wall on private property should be built in accordance with the Law, as this is leading to a rat problem in Triq Frank Debono, Marsalforn, Gozo. 

In a Facebook post, Cordina said that the owner of this private property cannot continue to be hard-headed and avoid taking action, whilst the respective authorities cannot continue ignoring this case. 

In accordance with the Maltese law, owners of a private property such as a field are required to build a seven-course boundary wall. 

Speaking to the Malta Independent, Cordina explained that this has been going on for over a year and up till now no action has been taken. 

“As a local council we have received several complaints from residents regarding the matter. It is not only disgusting to have rats near your residency but it can also be dangerous,” Cordina said. 

“It is also disgusting that something like this is happening due to the lack of respect coming from certain people towards other residents in the area,” Cordina said. 

He explained that the local council got in touch with the Planning Authority (PA) but in reply, the PA said that this not fall under their responsability. 

Consequently, Cordina questioned: “if this matter does not fall under the authority of the PA, then, under whom does it fall?” 

The PA did not disclose to the local council which authority is responsible for such a case. 

If permission is given to the Żebbuġ Local Council to build the boundary wall in the private field, Cordina said that “as a council we would have no problem in building it ourselves.” Currently, the council does not have permission to build a wall in a private property field. 

In the coming days, Żebbuġ Local Council will hold a meeting with the respective authorities to discuss legal matters in the hope of finding a way forward. The council will push to get the persmission to build the wall itself. 

Meanwhile, Cordina also said that “on several occasions, we have also spoken with the owner directly of the private property on the matter but it was pointless as nothing changed.”