Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1063613
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 DECEMBER 2018 4 NEWS JAMES DEBONO THE government has asked the Planning Authority to increase building height limits on a site known as Ta' Kalc along Triq San Pawl tal-Pitkal in Dingli, which was added to develop- ment boundaries by the previous administration in 2006. The site in question was mostly already built up before being in- cluded in development bounda- ries but still includes a 1000sq.m plot abutting on ODZ farmland. Owners in the area had publi- cally welcomed the extension of building boundaries claiming that they had been unjustly ex- cluded from the first develop- ment zone boundaries issued in 1988 even if most of the area had already been built up. But a planning control applica- tion approved in 2007 had lim- ited development on this site to a height of two floors and a base- ment (12.3 metres) with the aim of creating a transition between the ODZ and the rest of the vil- lage. The government now wants to increase the building height for the area whilst at the same time providing "a transition with the ODZ". The change in heights will also impact on the already built-up area where development is also limited to 12.3 metres. Most planning control applications approved since 2013 have been approved with a height of 17.5 metres. Government asks PA to increase height limits in Dingli site MATTHEW AGIUS TWO men who were leav- ing Malta for Egypt carrying envelopes with cash on be- half of several people back home will be appealing their sentence after being found guilty of failing to declare the amounts which narrow- ly exceeded the maximum amount they were permit- ted to carry at law. Hany Abdellatif Tawfik Elkhaniny, 42, of Marsax- lokk and Ahmed Mohamed Elsayed Shaaban Egy, 44, of Zejtun were arrested at the airport whilst trying to board a flight to Egypt. Inspector Lianne Bonello told duty magistrate Do- natella Frendo Dimech that the men had been arrested after customs officials dis- covered that they were car- rying amounts in excess of the €10,000 permitted by law. It emerged that Egy was carrying €10,933 and Elkhaniny €10,700. The de- fendants' lawyer, Charlon Gouder pleaded guilty, ar- guing amongst other things that the amounts had been in sealed envelopes given to them by several individu- als to transport to family members back home, which meant that they could not have known the exact totals. The court, however, noted that the Cash Control Regu- lations gave it no leeway in terms of punishment and that the punishment in this case was draconian – con- fiscation of the amount over €10,000 together with a fine of 25% of the total amount being carried. Elkhaniny was therefore fined €2,675 and had anoth- er €700 confiscated, whilst Egy was fined €2,733 and had €933 confiscated. The men's lawyer gave no- tice of appeal. Two to appeal punishment under draconian cash control law