Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1148959
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 JULY 2019 NEWS Position may be co-funded through European Union Funding/Bilateral Funds SENIOR MANAGER (EU FUNDS) PROGRAMME MANAGER (EU FUNDS) Applications are invited for the positions of Senior Manager (EU Funds) and Programme Manager (EU Funds) in the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality. Applicants for the Senior Manager (EU Funds) position must be in possession of a recognised Masters qualification at MQF Level 7 in relevant areas plus three years relevant work experience. Applicants for the Programme Manager (EU Funds) position must be in possession of a recognized Masters qualification at MQF Level 7 in relevant areas plus one year relevant work experience or in possesion of a recognized Bachelors qualification at MQF Level 6 in relevant areas plus three years relevant work experience. Applications will be received at the Corporate Services Directorate, Ministry for European Affairs and Equality, 31B, Tal-Pilar, Marsamxett Road, Valletta, VLT 1850 by not later than noon of Friday 2 nd August 2019. Further details may be obtained from the Government Gazette of 19 th July 2019. Application forms may be downloaded from: https://publicservice.gov.mt/en/people/Pages/PeopleResourcingandCompliance/For msandTemplates.aspx Further details may be obtained from the Government Gazette of 30 th JAMES DEBONO A piece of ODZ land along La- bour Avenue in Zabbar, previ- ously earmarked for a McDon- ald's drive-in restaurant, is now being proposed for a school and childcare centre. The latest application foresees the demolition of an existing 300sq.m building, the removal of a large dilapidated green- house and the construction of childcare centre and kinder- garten over three floors, one of which is receded, and a base- ment level parking. The pro- posal also includes play areas. The proposal involves the uprooting of a number of trees from the central area of the site to make room for the play ar- eas and the planting of a row of trees along the site's boundary. The proposed school build- ing over three levels occupies a slightly larger footprint than the existing one-storey building. The proposal is being made by St Cecilia Tarxien Ltd, which presently runs a private kinder- garten in Tarxien and Attard. The application for the erec- tion of a McDonald's drive-in was withdrawn last year after strong objections by the Zabbar local council and residents. ODZ school proposed on Zabbar land previously identified for McDonald's KARL AZZOPARDI THE people of Valletta are the subject of a study that will aim to understand the issues of the Capital of Culture 2018, as gentrification prices people out of their homes. The project spearheaded by the Faculty for Social Well-being and the Valletta lo- cal council, is also funded by Inspirasia Foundation, entrepreneur Mark We- ingard's philanthropic arm. Weingard himself is one of the owners of a Valletta boutique hotel. And indeed, the study will not just out- line the needs and challenges of the age- ing Valletta community, but also study the effects of gentrification, the relation- ship between different communities and neighbourhoods, and liveability inside the capital and its role as a centre of business. "Since the business community in Val- letta started growing in such a rapid way, with the capital becoming a hub for more activity, the community has started facing new challenges and we have to under- stand them," Dean for the Faculty for So- cial Well-being, Prof. Andrew Azzopardi, said. The idea to launch the study came when Weingard approached former Valletta mayor Alexiei Dingli, to offer support to- wards the Valletta community. "We had been trying to commission a study which focuses on the Valletta people since 2006, and finally the needs of the community will be properly assessed," Prof. Dingli said. During the discussions held, it was con- cluded that no clear data on Valletta's community was available, making the needs of the community nearly impos- sible to be known. "It is our ethical obli- gation to give back to the Valletta com- munity. To do this, we must find out the needs of its people first," Weingard said, who recently announced the funding of the project. According to Dingli, his work as mayor lacked a direct approach to the various problems the community was facing due to the lack of studies highlighting them. "We could never take a long-haul ap- proach to struggles residents were facing, forcing us to play by ear and react rather than prevent." Azzopardi himself said that Valletta's recent revitalisation had not yet been studied properly, especially from the citi- zens' point of view, and that the possible impact on the community from Valletta's recent international showcasing, was not yet known. "Let us not forget, Valletta was a place which was 'scary' to go to after a certain time just not too long ago. We have seen such rapid change that the much-needed urban planning in roads, traffic and park- ing management to name a few have tracked back," Azzopardi said. V18 was another contributing factor in Valletta's regeneration. "We need to build on what good came out of this major event," Azzopardi said. "Valletta has a different dynamic to that of other towns and villages in the coun- try. What we have to understand is that what happens in Valletta not only affects the residents that live there. Valletta is a governmental centre, we have the civil service and the ministries, therefore a lot of services are rendered from within the capital." The research will also propose ways on how to resolve the issues by presenting solutions towards better communities through utilising community resources. Maria Brown, the lead researcher on the study, said the results will be trans- lated into community development pro- grammes. "The programme will stem from the results obtained, fulfilling a bot- tom-up approach to the study. We're not only after data, but also looking to imple- ment a positive change within the com- munity." The study will include a questionnaire which will be disseminated amongst a representative sample of the residents, while focus groups will be conducted with stakeholders of the Valletta community. Initial results have suggested that Val- letta residents are concerned about two main issues: the gentrification process through which Valletta has been passing through, with increased commercialisa- tion and revamping of the city, creating conditions which make living in it a big- ger financial challenge; and the long-term legacy of V18. "Preliminary results have shown that the different communities have expressed their worries on how they will be impact- ed now that V18 has been concluded," Brown said. The research was initiated in June 2019 and is expected to be completed by Janu- ary of next year. After V18… a study to understand Valletta's residents The red spot indicates the site earmarked for development