Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1128919
13.06.19 16 TOWNSCAPES IT only took one hour for the Plan- ning Authority's Irrestawra Darek grant scheme to be fully taken up. The third edition of this popular scheme which was launched early last month and opened last Monday, received over 750 online submissions with requests amounting to over €8 million. Due to the overwhelming response the Authority has had to close off re- ceiving any further submissions. Sub- missions were received on a first come first serve basis. While the scheme has been closed for privately owned residential properties located within Urban Conservation Areas (UCAs) and Grade 1 and Grade 2 scheduled residential buildings, the Authority is still receiving submis- sions for restoration and conservation works concerning streetscapes. This year, as an incentive to promote a more homogenous approach and improve the streetscapes of our tra- ditional village cores, the Authority allocated €1 million of the funds for this purpose. Here individual properties are being given up to €20,000 each. This on con- dition that the cluster of residential properties add to not less than 50m of the streetscape. The properties need to be within an Urban Conservation Area, and may include a commercial component. Within the hour from opening the scheme the Authority received 12 submissions within this category. Johann Buttigieg, Chairperson of the Planning Authority's Executive Council said "online submissions came pouring in like never before. For the third year in a row, the Irrestaw- ra Darek scheme has been a success story. This is a tangible initiative and one way of how we are promoting the safeguarding of our village cores and scheduled properties." "In total, over the past three years we have committed €23 million towards this scheme. The overwhelming de- mand shows that there is a thirst by residents living within urban conser- vation areas and in 'historical' prop- erties to ensure that their property is well maintained and conserved," he said. As in previous years, the Authority will be funding 70% of the works, up to a maximum of €10,000. Owners of Grade 1 and Grade 2 scheduled build- ings will be benefitting up to a maxi- mum of €100,000 and €50,000 respec- tively. Such properties, not only are eligi- ble for a rebate on works covering the façade but also to the interior and gar- den architecture of the property. The €5 million that have been made available for this year's scheme come from the fees the Authority generates from the regularisation process appli- cation. The regularisation process applica- tion provides property owners with a 'one-time opportunity' to regularise existing non-conformant develop- ments located entirely within the de- velopment boundaries. 'Irrestawra Darek' grant scheme taken up - in just one hour