Residents were evacuated from an apartment block in the heart of Paceville after it was deemed to have fallen into disrepair, the Building and Construction Authority said in a statement on Sunday.
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said on Sunday that it had made a formal report to the Police regarding the condition of the Seaview Apartments building, in Triq San Ġorġ and Triq il-Wilġa, in Paceville.
Immediately, together with the Government Architect, the Police, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA), the Civil Protection Department, Water Services Corporation and Enemalta, a decision was taken to evacuate the people living in the building.
The authority said that the evacuation was carried out because of the current condition of the building.
A report prepared by Prof. Alex Torpiano, who was engaged by third parties and submitted to the Building and Construction Authority regarding the condition of the building, declared that the building should not be inhabited due to a lack of maintenance by the tenants and owners of the building, the BCA said.
The BCA said that back in July 202 it, together with the Paceville Town Centre Management Committee, had met with the owners of the apartments and establishments in the building, where it was decided to appoint Prof. Torpiano to assess the building.
“In his initial investigation, it was determined that the building was not in danger or posing a risk to residents or third parties. However, certain works were proposed that had to be carried out immediately by the owners themselves. However, a year later, these works had still not been carried out, and as a result the building continued to deteriorate, particularly due to sewage leakage in the shafts of the building,” the BCA said.
The BCA said that it continued to monitor developments concerning the building.
“As recently as June, the Authority again reminded the apartment owners to reach an agreement among themselves and carry out the necessary works and maintenance to mitigate the risk. Two months later, these works had still not been carried out, and therefore the BCA, the Police and the Government Architect, together with OHSA and Civil Protection, had to intervene by ordering the evacuation of the residents,” the BCA said.
The BCA also noted that, according to the same report by Prof. Torpiano, all the risks and dangers in this building are the result of a lack of maintenance of the building over the years, and are in no way related to construction work being carried out next to the building.