No stopping road contractor Barbros’ take-over of Ghaxaq fields

Two large agricultural fields in Għaxaq have been illegally converted into a construction waste dumping ground by a major road construction company since 2021.

Following numerous complaints by residents, the Planning Authority issued an enforcement notice in 2023, ordering the company to remove the waste and restore the area to its original state.

This notice included the imposition of a daily fine of €50 per day, capped at a maximum of €50,000. The fines did nothing to stop Barbros from dumping waste, as the company contested the enforcement notice and continued operations.

The defence for this appeal is being handled by Ryan Pace, a young lawyer who worked at Prime Minister Robert Abela’s legal firm until he was given 11 jobs by the government while he continued his private legal practice.

Investigations by The Shift reveal that during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Barbros Group—operating a large batching plant on Tal-Barrani Road—decided to demolish a wall at the back end of its facility, which opened access to three large agricultural fields.

The road contractor then began dumping truckloads of construction waste, transforming the once lush green area into a mountain of dust and waste, significantly impacting hundreds of residents.

Neighbours who spoke with The Shift said that despite submitting numerous complaints—many in writing—to the Planning Authority, as well as to various ministers and MPs, no effective measures have been implemented, as the contractors continue to dispose of their waste daily.

“It is obvious to us that the contractor controls the authorities, not the other way around,” one neighbour said.

Another frustrated resident added, “They (the ministers) tell us we are right, but five years after the law was broken in broad daylight, heavy vehicles owned by Barbros are still dumping waste as if nothing wrong has happened.”

They view the company’s recruitment of a lawyer to contest the enforcement notice as a tactic to buy time. The case has been pending before the government-appointed Environmental and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) since 2023, with hearings occurring every few months often postponed due to various technicalities.

The complainants say this appears to be “just another tactic to allow the contractor to persist in its illegal activities.”

Barbros Group is one of the major road-building contractors on the island, owned by the Schembri family.

Over the past four years, the company has received tens of millions in government contracts and direct orders.

Its shareholders include Carmelo, Anthony, Mary, Ephraim, and Franridge Schembri, as well as Josephine Guntrip and Claudine Barbara. The Group is involved in various other business interests.