Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1025219
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 SEPTEMBER 2018 5 NEWS WORKS to widen the Tal-Balal Road in order to reach comple- tion by the end of October are pushing ahead, despite owners claiming that no prior warning was given. The Central Link Project is a largescale renovation pro- gramme, which aims to ease traffic congestion in major ar- terial roads, with existing roads being widened and the con- struction of new ones. Works will include the con- struction of a new two-kilo- metre southbound carriageway from Naxxar to San Gwann, and the rebuilding and rede- sign of the four existing round- abouts. The widening of the Tal-Balal Road will require contractors to expropriate private land used by residents within the same road. When asked to specify details about the expropriation, a ga- rage owner told MaltaToday that no prior warning was giv- en about the works, with con- tractors ordering the residents to free space for the upcoming works. The road expansion will re- quire residents to yield 6.7 me- tres of land. More than 9,000sq.m. of ter- rain will be lost during the road expansion, some of this land being agricultural. A legal notice enacted in 2016 enabled certain roadworks from needing a full permit, as long as the work is done on an already existing footprint. This is, however, not the case in Tal-Balal, as a new south- bound carriageway will be con- structed. One resident told MaltaTo- day that his driveway used to accommodate six cars, a figure which will be reduced to two once the project is completed. Residents whose land will be expropriated said even the land owner was not notified of the expropriation of his land. "They came here one day and told us to vacate the required area, as works would be com- mencing soon," a concerned resident told the newspaper. When contacted by the news- paper, the landowner refused to comment. Structures indicating the ex- propriation have already been set up, with excavation works moving closer to the site each day. The mandatory consulta- tion period required by plan- ning laws was only opened in the early days of September with works already underway. The consultation period last- ed only eight days. No prior warning given about expropriation, residents claim TAL-BALAL ROADWORKS The expropriation will require land owners to cede 22 feet of land