Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1211430
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 FEBRUARY 2020 NEWS MATTHEW VELLA BIRKIRKARA residents have been powerless against what they insist are "squatters" who have now managed to secure a bona fide planning permit for internal works. Residents who spoke to Mal- taToday say their unwelcome neighbours gained access into the Triq Has-Sajjied home years back, turning its back-garden and rooms into a makeshift horse sta- ble, before animal welfare officers put a stop to it. But since then, they have man- aged to obtain Planning Author- ity permission to extend a back room and carry out internal works on their roofs, despite no legal claim to the property's own- ership. Neighbours were gob-smacked at the PA's approval of the per- mit, despite their objections that the applicants had no legal title to the house they had occupied. As noted by the PA's case of- ficer, there were various objec- tions from neighbours pointing out that the applicants were not the owners of the house. But the neighbours are also hampered by the fact that the owner, an Englishman, passed away in the UK and his heirs, all nephews and nieces, have shown no interest in claiming the prop- erty. The late owner, Derrick James Chick, was sold the property back in 1988, but only his heirs can take legal steps to evict the squatters. Objectors told the PA that the dwelling did not have an energy meter, and was being used to rear farm animals, lacking sanitary fa- cilities or animal feed storage and "resulting in a dirty mess to the ex- tent that one can witness rats and mice all over the place... a wash- room [permit] was granted which is being used as a big bird cage." In the past, animal welfare of- ficers had to remove animals housed in the makeshift farm due to malnourishment and lack of hygiene. Residents complained that the pigeon homing cage had turned into a nuisance for the rest of the street, with droppings attracting vermin. But the PA's case officer opined that while no proof was forth- coming on who owned the prem- ises, and while applicant Victor Pace did not claim ownership, this was "not strictly a planning matter [so] no cognisance of this issue was taken." With the planning directorate washing its hands off the matter that the applicants were not own- ers of the house, the PA could on- ly offer objectors the unsatisfac- tory suggestion of expensive and time-consuming court action. The proposed works include replacing the garden shed with a larger "study room", and paving over the soil area – a suggestion that the former 'farm' will be for- malised into a residential setting. The old house's roofs will also be replaced. No other storeys will be added or rooms added. The PA's enforcement section did, however, carry out a site visit over complaints that the wash- room was used as a pigeon loft: there they noticed two empty cages in the courtyard and nine chickens kept inside a room. In- stead the enforcement officer re- quested clearance from the Envi- ronmental Health and Veterinary Services for the pigeon loft. The Paces later told the PA they had removed the pigeon loft. Complaints from neighbours date as back as 2001, with sever- al complaints made to the police department to report the abusive squatting and use of the residents as a makeshift farm. Letters were also sent to the Prime Minister and ministers to complaint about vermin and lack of sanitary facilities. Letters to the mayor of Birkirkara were met with unsatisfactory respons- es, with the council replying that it was powerless to intervene ex- cept to file reports with the au- thorities. Powerless neighbours unable to stop B'Kara squatters' planning permit A squatter obtained a PA permit for internal works in a house he does not own