Second Xemxija collapse aggravates residents’ concerns about major construction site

A collapse adjacent to roadworks currently being carried out for a major construction project in Xemxija, the second incident to occur near the site in as many months, has aggravated concerns expressed by nearby residents who sought reassurances from safety officials who were monitoring the site after its collapse.

The collapse occurred near a site which is set to house one of the biggest mixed-use building complexes Xemxija has ever seen.

Though Polidano’s development plans cover a massive part of the site, the area is currently being transformed several projects involving multiple developers and contractors, with adjacent plots under construction at once further exacerbating concerns about the area’s fragile geography.

The site where the collapse occurred was already subject to a stop work notice following a similar collapse in March. On Thursday, Times of Malta quoted a spokesperson for developer Joseph Portelli, who confirmed that the site which includes the collapsed road belongs to Trivium Projects Ltd, a company Portelli jointly owns with Kurt Polidano.

Building and Construction Authority (BCA) officials, flanked by their counterparts from the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA), were on site at around 3pm when the collapse occurred.

Residents who had gathered around the collapsed road, some of whom own residential units which overlook the gaping hole in the ground, did not seem particularly reassured by officials’ claims that the contractor was going to reinforce the collapsed road.

Officials said the contractor was “packing in” collapsed layers of clay using heavy machinery. The problem is set to be addressed by installing concrete piles, which would directly support the collapsed road, though no timeline for the installation of those concrete piles has been confirmed as of yet.

Officials on site later confirmed that a state-appointed architect had verified that the site did not pose any immediate danger to nearby residents, and that if it did, they would all be evacuated.

A Nationalist Party representative on St Paul Bay’s local council, Rachel Williams, was also on the site a few hours after the collapse.

Facing questions from residents who were left wondering why corrective action had not been taken following a recent collapse, Williams told them that the local council has scheduled a meeting with the BCA for 8 April.

The local councillor stated that all ongoing construction works in Xemxija should be temporarily suspended until the meeting takes place and the appropriate additional safeguards, which must be taken in a sensitive site such as Xemxija, are in place.

The article has been updated as it incorrectly stated that the site where the collapse occurred was part of Polidano’s project.