Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1019057
5 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 AUGUST 2018 YANNICK PACE A film company that failed to clinch a shooting range con- cession in the rural limits of Mosta, has denied carrying out excavation works for a film tank in the same location. ACT Europe – formerly U- Group Limited – had its propos- al in 2015 for a shooting range scrapped after the company failed a due diligence process prior to governmental approval. The company owns land ad- jacent to the site of the former army barracks, that was to be turned into a shooting range. But it has denied started exca- vations for a 300sq.m water tank in the same location, without a Planning Authority permit. The site was granted two de- velopment notification order (DNO) permits, one approved in December 2017 to allow "gener- al filming activities" on the site. The DNO application states the company's intention to place a water tank on the site but does not specify the type of tank. The second application was submitted in May 2018, request- ing permission to "construct a water tank and ancillary cesspits including necessary excavation works". However, the Planning Au- thority website's shows that the permit has not yet been ap- proved: the public is still able to submit objections to the project until the 24 September. MaltaToday was told that an onsite visit revealed that works had already started. ACT Europe's Anastasia Bud- ykho confirmed with MaltaTo- day that some works had started "two to three" months ago, but she insisted that it only involved clearing of the site and that the work was not done without a permit. She said the work stopped three days after starting, be- cause of a "misunderstanding" between the project's architects and the Planning Authority. Budykho is the CEO of the company formerly known as U-Group Limited – the same company behind plans to build a shooting range complex in the area. In May 2018, U-Group changed its name to AQ Films Limited. The company changed its name again last month to AQ Group Limited. AQ Group owns ACT Europe, the company in whose name the permit applica- tion was submitted. Budykho stressed that any work carried out on the site was in accordance with the Decem- ber 2017 DNO. The permit application avail- able on the Planning Authority's website states that the planned "activities will focus on gen- eral filming activities, [and that] temporary compartments are required on site including [an] area for a water tank. All struc- tures on site will be completely demountable and relocatable." In fact, while a site plan sub- mitted with the application makes reference to a 20m x 10m water tank, but without any additional details as to its depth, leading one to believe that the tank would be placed on the ground, rather than dug into it. The project's architect Jo- seph Falzon echoed Budykho in stating that no excavation works had begun, stressing that the site had only been cleared "within the parameters of the DNO application", and that the dug-out area could be refilled and restored to its former state once the permit expired. But he denied that works had been stopped by the PA, point- ing out that no enforcement notice had been issued. When pressed, Falzon said that the au- thority had requested a separate development application be submitted for the tank. Questions sent to the Plan- ning Authority remained unan- swered at the time of going to print. Falzon stressed that the com- pany had always followed the PA's instructions and would only excavate down to the planned four metres if a permit is issued. Budykho said the site had re- cently been put up for sale and that while the company's origi- nal intention had been to build a film water tank, it had now lost interest in the project and was seeking the permit to build a res- ervoir to be used for agricultural purposes by any prospective buyer. Campaign from the fmap to raise awareness on the need to protect our seas To leave a message or to phone: 21242776 WIEĦED TAGĦNA BAĦAR Federation of maltese aquaculture producers Company denies excavations for film water tank