The existing infrastructure in St Julian’s is already struggling to cope with the mounting demand as the number of permanent residents grows, together with an expanding concentration of high-rise buildings that are being constructed in the locality, mayor Guido Dalli told The Malta Independent on Sunday in an interview.

The situation is already serious, but it will become worse since more towers are being built and others are planned, he said.

Whether it is traffic, waste collection and sewage services, the infrastructure in St Julian’s is under great pressure. No day passes by without there being traffic jams along its main roads, in particular the street leading from Balluta towards Paceville and St Andrews.

Like other localities in the area, such as Swieqi and Sliema, the waste problem has been described as a “crisis” and a few weeks ago Dalli, together with the mayors of the two other localities, took journalists on a trip to show them the extent of the disaster.

Add sewage overflows and power cuts, and one has the perfect concoction of a locality whose infrastructure cannot deal with the expanding population, as well as the daily influx of people who work in the area and the many tourists who either make St Julian’s their home for a few days, or who visit the locality during their holiday or for business.

Dalli expressed his concerns on this over-development within the locality and its ramifications on the infrastructure, citing that “there is going to be a serious issue” once the ongoing mega developments are completed. The mayor also described the high-rise buildings in St Julian’s as an eyesore.

He said that the infrastructure is inadequate for the demand that there is, and this is already causing drainage overflows in multiple areas across the whole locality. People are sent to resolve the issue, but the repairs can only last so much until the overflow happens again.

The PN mayor noted that particular care must be taken in Paceville due to the planned mega developments within this dense area. He told this newsroom: “When these towers open, the infrastructure is not going to keep up with the types of buildings that will be there. Don’t forget, there are going to be shops, offices, and apartments.”

The whole situation unfortunately stinks of a total lack of urban planning.  The fact of the matter is that in granting permits for the upcoming major developments in St Julian’s, the Planning Authority only considered them as individual projects within the context of the policies that currently exist.

There is no masterplan for St Julian’s or Paceville specifically amongst those policies. That is only down to the government’s own fiasco in handling it.  The initial masterplan in 2016 pandered to some developers and gave them essentially precisely what they wanted, without considering the wishes of the people.

Following major backlash, it was put on hold and was supposedly set to be revised.  But that revision never came, and the developers all got their permits for their mega-developments regardless.

The consequences from back then surely could have been foreseen – but even those who somehow couldn’t foresee them will soon be able to bear witness to them. 

The consequences of Malta’s lack of urban planning can already be seen today, and will only get worse from here unless drastic action is taken.