‘We have a plan for immediate works’ – Anton Camilleri on Naxxar development incident

Developer Anton Camilleri said that he has a plan for the immediate works that need to be done after the foundations of part of a development gave way.

The Building and Construction Authority ordered 10 families living near the construction site in Naxxar to evacuate on Thursday evening, after concerns about safety were raised. It was reported that they were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The development, located on Triq il-Milizzja corner with Triq is-Seneskalk in Naxxar, is subject to a planning application for 64 apartments. It is understood that the area where the incident occurred is earmarked for garages. A planning application for garages had already been granted.

Contacted by this newsroom, Mr Camilleri said that he has a plan for immediate works that have to be done, and said there is no danger to third parties as the issue is within his own site. He said that he is now seeing with the authorities how to move forward with the plan to fix the wall.

He said that works on the rest of site were also stopped pending evaluations, and that he will be giving a report to the authorities, adding that "the other sites were not affected."

Mr Camilleri also said that they are working on a method statement to send to the authorities, after which they will execute the works according to that method statement.

He said that what happened is not due to the rock. "There is a whole methodology to explain it, but the rock is solid and it wasn't from the rock. When you have certain foundation and depth, you fill in the sides a bit. We had to fill in a bit on a side, but it hadn't been done yet."

Regarding the families who were evacuated, he said that the decision to evacuate was taken by the Building and Construction Authority, adding that the advice he received from his experts was different. "There is a huge distance, around 150 feet away, in completely different buildings that are detached."

The Momentum Party is calling for a full and transparent independent investigation into the Naxxar incident, and the immediate publication of all relevant inspection reports, risk assessments, and enforcement actions related to the site.

It is also calling for stronger accountability mechanisms for developers, contractors, architects, and authorities responsible for oversight and mandatory geological and structural assessments for large-scale excavation projects before permits are issued.

Image: Mark Camilleri Gambin/Momentum