Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1021976
NEWS 6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 SEPTEMBER 2018 JAMES DEBONO SLIEMA residents are being ex- pected to submit their feedback to a masterplan for the develop- ment of the abandoned Villa Bo- nici gardens, whose owners are seeking permits for a boutique hotel, offices, and an old people's home. But there are no clear indica- tions of what the building heights earmarked for the proposed de- velopment will be. According to the proposed 'masterplan', 7,470 sq.m of the site (65%) will be built up, while 4,030 sq.m will be retained as open space. Originally the only document available online through which residents could assess what is be- ing planned for the Villa Bonici gardens was a site plan. But following queries to the Planning Authority by Malta- Today a 'masterplan' showing the extent of the different com- ponents of the project was pub- lished on the PA's web site. The plan shows that substan- tial parts of the historic gardens in the middle of the site, which include the nymphaeum and the mock Gothic folly, are being retained as open spaces, while 2,147 sq.m of offices are being proposed along the Parisio and Colonel Savona streets. A boutique hotel is being pro- posed in the existing villa, which occupies 660 sq.m between Manwel Dimech sreet and the gardens. A larger hotel development is also being proposed on 2,330 sq.m along Parisio street, while an old people's home is be- ing proposed on 1,725 sq.m of land between the gardens and Colonel Savona street. A Planning Authority spokesperson justified the absence of more detailed plans saying that the appli- cation presented is only an outline plan and "therefore only a masterplan has been submitted". An outline plan application is normally presented by de- velopers to set the param- eters for development on a particular site. A full devel- opment permit is submitted at a later stage, after the PA accepts the development in prin- ciple. But normally outline per- mits also include detailed plans which include building heights and other details. The Sliema Council is closely following the new proposals. PN councillor Michael Brigug- lio who has been following the case since the original applica- tion was presented, told Malta- Today that the council "will do its utmost so that residents' qual- ity of life is protected and that development plans are in synch with the beauty of the area in question." In February 2014, the PA board turned down an application for 188 apartments in four blocks, the highest being 12 storeys high. The development was refused because the local plan stipulates that a development brief should be presented before any develop- ment is approved. Normally, it is the PA which drafts development briefs before the private sector submits proposals based on the parameters set by the authority. But this case is considered differ- ent because the land in question is privately-owned. In 2015 a new application pre- sented by the developers pro- posed "a development brief" on the 11,500 sq.m site. But the nomenclature of the applica- tion has now been changed to a request for an outline permit. This comes as a result of changes to the law which relegated such development briefs to the lowest rung in the planning hierarchy. And effectively this means that the development will be assessed according to the design guide- lines issued in 2015 which are not site-specific. The landowners have always insisted that Villa Bonici is a pri- vate property and that the villa's location in the middle of urban development gives its owners rights to its monetary value. Villa Bonici: plans for hotel, old people's home, offices MINISTRY FOR HEALTH PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIAT FOR EUROPEAN FUNDS AND SOCIAL DIALOGUE PUBLIC HEALTH IS YOUR GUARANTEE. TAKE PART. NATIONAL SURVEY ON THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH PROJECT PART-FINANCED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION FOUR men from Georgia were denied bail after being charged in court over their alleged involve- ment in two robberies. The court heard how the four men had been in Malta for a few months during which time they wired thousands of euros out of the country, mainly to Georgia. Ramazi Ashordia, aged 37, Giorgi Bujiashvili, 40, Gela Kharazishvili, 41, and Gabriel Jabushanuri, 48 – all of whom said were construction workers – were charged with being part of an organised crime network and participating in its criminal ac- tivities. They were also charged with being in pos- session of a number of stolen items. Ashordia and Bujiashvili were separately charged with stealing €2,000 worth of jewellery from a Balzan residence on the 29 August. Bujiashvili alone was charged with the theft of electronic equipment and jewellery from an- other residence in St Paul's Bay. Jabushanuri was charged with aiding the accused in the robberies. Magistrate Audrey Demicoli heard inspector Ly- don Zammit explain how the Balzan robber had left the house in a rented vehicle. This led police to the identity of the person who had rented the van, and who was charged in court on Friday. During the police's investigations, Zammit said the man who had rented the van said that he was with another person during the robbery, who also purchased the tools used in the robbery. It tran- spired the man was Jabushanuri, who had been seen entering an apartment block in Bugibba. Neighbours confirmed with the police that the per- son had been seen entering two particular apart- ments along with others on a number of occasions. The apartment was raided by the police and 11 people, including all four of the accused, were de- tained. Zammit said that several items, including jewel- lery, computer equipment, money and perfumes were found in the apartments, and that over the course of the investigation, the items were linked with eight robberies known to have taken place, including the Balzan robbery they were being charged with. The person charged on Friday, he said, had iden- tified two of the men being charged yesterday and admitted to dropping them off at the Balzan resi- dence on the night it was robbed. The men had also been recognised by some of their victims. Responding to lawyer Joe Ellis, who represented the accused and questioned why the four were be- ing charged with participation in organised crime, Zammit said the men themselves told the police they changed addresses very often by staying in Malta for a short while. Bail was denied because of the serious nature of the crimes, the fact that the accused had no ties to Malta and because there was no guarantee they would abide by the conditions laid down by the courts. Four denied bail over robberies, police suspect crime ring