Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1133773
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 JUNE 2019 JAMES DEBONO THE owners of a dilapidated hotel set on the Ghajn Tuffieha promontory have applied to regularise two containers, a generator and the replacement of the Riviera Martinique's dilapi- dated roof. The two unsightly containers are being used for the storage of drinks and equipment next to the derelict hotel. Aerial photos on the PA's website show that the building was roofed after 2012. The area where the containers have been placed is designated as an area of high landscape value and a buffer zone for the boulder scree be- low. A court case instituted by the government 11 years ago against the hotel owners, requesting their eviction from public land immediately beneath the derelict hotel, has been dragging on for the past decade. The Lands Department had cited a condition in the contract with Kevin Fenech of NMF Ltd, that states that should the hotel be closed to the public for a year, the gov- ernment would have the option of taking back the site. The owners have pointed out that the land on which the actual hotel is built is freehold. In fact, in their latest application to sanction the two containers, the owners claim full ownership of the land. Back in 2008 they had also insisted that another development application to redevelop the hotel should not in any way be affected by the pending court case. But no progress was made in the pending ap- plications to rebuild the hotel over the last 10 years. Last April, the Lands Department told Mr Jus- tice Toni Abela that negotiations between the parties were taking place, yet no agreement had been reached. The case has a complicated plan- ning history, with the first application to con- struct a four-star 25-room hotel being turned down by the Planning Authority in 1994. Then in 2004, the PA issued an outline per- mit for the demolition of the existing structure to build a three-storey building, incorporat- ing a restaurant and multipurpose hall. Subse- quently the owners applied for a full permit for the three-storey structure, located further away from the receding cliff-face. An Environmental Planning Statement concluded that the project would represent an improvement over the pre- sent derelict hotel, since it would be a smaller structure and the surrounding debris would be removed. A renewal application was presented in 2009. The Environment and Resources Authority has proposed the relocation of the hotel to a less sensitive location outside the Special Area of Conservation, in its management plan for the Natura 2000 site. NEWS IDENTITY MALTA AGENCY CHANGE IN OFFICE OPENING HOURS CENTRAL VISA UNIT AS FROM 1 st JULY 2019 THE CENTRAL VISA UNIT WILL BE OPENING FROM: MONDAY TO FRIDAY 08:00AM - 02:00PM (Excluding Public Holidays) The Central Visa Unit will be accepting general queries, the submission of applications, including student visas, and passport collections on a daily basis t +356 2590 4550 e visa.ima@gov.mt w www.identitymalta.com sores in our localities." A butcher in St Paul's Bay last week told MaltaToday that he had seen piles of un- collected garbage across the street from his business that had been there since the day after the European elections – 25 days of uncollected trash. "The problem is that the garbage that has been accu- mulating has not been put in proper black or organic bags. Most of it is in cardboard boxes," the butcher said. Rosario Camilleri, who runs Luciano's Meat Market on Triq L-Iskuna in St Paul's Bay, said the garbage was at- tracting scores of rats that can be seen roaming around throughout the day. "That garbage has been there since the day after the MEP and local council elec- tions. When we called the local council prior to the elections, cleaners came by and they swept the road clean and removed some of the weeds growing out of the pavement. But ever since the new local council was elect- ed, nothing of the sort has happened. It's as if it doesn't matter anymore now that they're elected," Camilleri said. When asked whether he tried contacting the local council to alert it of the situ- ation, Camilleri told Malta- Today that the local coun- cil simply confirmed that if trash is not taken out in its proper bag, this would re- main uncollected. This caused the butcher and a few neighbours to have an altercation with the gar- bage collectors. "We had an argument with the collectors, asking them to collect the garbage any- way but they refused. They should at least collect it for the benefit of tourists who occupy the nearby apart- ments," Camilleri said. cleansing services with waste problem "Services provided by the local council are not enough for the locality's needs and certainly need to be improved. The solution to this problem would be the increase in the frequency of service" Riviera eviction drags on despite negotiations Redevelopment of hotel as proposed in pending application dating back to 2004