Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1138429
4 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 JULY 2019 JAMES DEBONO A proposal to erect a 45 meter high Ferris wheel at the grana- ries in Floriana is heading for refusal after the proposal was shot down by the Superintend- ence for Cultural Heritage, the Planning Authority's Advisory Committee, and the Planning Directorate. The project was deemed to have a negative visual impact by the case officer report issued by the Planning Directorate which recommended the project's re- fusal . According to the report the Ferris wheel could pose a threat to the World Heritage Status of Valletta and would challenge the monumental presence of the parish church of Floriana, dominating all views of the historic granaries. As proposed the wheel would be constructed in steel and would rise to a height of 45 me- tres with a diameter of 40.6 me- tres. The wheel located within a public car park facing the Flo- riana Granaries, directly oppo- site St Publius' Church It would be fixed to the ground with a steel base and mounted on a concrete platform. Al- though the observation wheel may be demounted, the instal- lation would be permanently erected on site. The Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage had "strongly ob- jected" to the proposed project noting that the proposed struc- ture would be visible from nu- merous surrounding viewpoints, irreversibly changing the appear- ance of Valletta and Floriana. The project's architect had submitted clearance from the Lands Authority to the project. The proponent is Liam Man- gion, the sole owner of Extreme Events, and a shareholder in another popular amusement ride, Slingshot Malta Liam Mangion had told this newspaper his motivation for the project was his "great love" for observation wheels. "I saw the success observation wheels have throughout major cit- ies across Europe and World Heritage sights and I've al- ways dreamt of Malta hosting its own. I have visited many of them throughout the year, so I asked, 'Why not Malta?'" The wheel does not need any foundation works and can be installed in just 10 working days. When asked why this particu- lar location was chosen Man- gion claims that he has have been studying and getting ex- pert advice since 2008 to find a suitable location in Malta. "The proposed area ticks all the box- es for a successful and iconic attraction, respecting the sur- roundings, residents, heritage and skyline." He dismissed any fears on the visual impact on Valletta, ar- guing that similar wheels are found in several leading world heritage locations, including UNESCO sites. "The wheel will produce a lot of smiles, excite- ment and positive marketing for our island, whilst respecting the skyline." Din l-Art Helwa has recently described the project as "a seri- ous visual intrusion on the sky- lines of Valletta from both the Three Cities and from Sliema". The Floriana local council has also objected to the project ar- guing that if approved it would dwarf the locality's parish church. The Planning Authority's board will take a final decision on the project on 18 July. Floriana Ferris wheel set for refusal DAVID HUDSON THE killing of some protected water- birds, the hunting of which was sus- pended by the European Commission, is insignificant, Kaccaturi San Ubertu (KSU) said. In a statement, KSU said that the Eu- ropean Commission is calling for the suspension of hunting in all EU states of nine waterbird species, two of which, the Common Pochard and the Northern Lapwing, are huntable species in Malta. "As an idea of Malta's hunting im- pact on these two birds, 12 Common Pochard and 16 Northern Lapwing were reported shot according to official records in 2018 with the same number recorded in 2017. These insignificant amounts are constant throughout the years," the statement read. KSU said that following the morato- rium on Turtle dove hunting in all EU states in Autumn based on the species being on the Red List Vunlerable Sta- tus by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this moratorium was "flatly ignored" by all EU states. "The Commission's call for a hunting suspension has no legal basis and is a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to address any appropriate remedy," KSU said. It called on the Maltese authorities to conduct appropriate studies that re- flect the insignificant impact of Maltese hunters on the two species in question and to "refrain from imposing more unnecessary restrictions" on Maltese hunting. Number of protected waterbirds shot in Malta is insignifcant, hunting lobby says The proposed ferris wheel would rise to a height of 45 metres with a diameter of 40.6m The Northern Lapwing is huntable in Malta A 24-year-old man has sus- tained severe injuries after an altercation at a restaurant in the early hours of Tuesday morning in St Julian's. The incident took place at 4am in Triq San Gorg. The police said an investiga- tion had found that an argu- ment had broken out between a 34-year-old British national and a 24-year-old Maltese man from Swieqi. It appeared that during the altercation, the 24-year- old was allegedly assaulted. Therefore, he was taken to Mater Dei Hospital for further treatment where it was later certified he was suffering from severe injuries. The 34-year-old is currently being held by police. An investigation is ongoing. Man seriously injured in St Julian's restaurant fight