Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1182484
NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 NOVEMBER 2019 2 JAMES DEBONO A visual assessment of the pro- posed Lidl supermarket in Zeb- bug has been presented to the Planning Authority, confirming an increased volume of develop- ment when viewed from street level. The assessment also includes visual simulations of aerial views of the project on the corner be- tween Mdina Road and Attard Road. While the visual simulation from street level show an inten- sification of development, the aerial images suggest a formali- sation of the degraded land that surrounds the present SMW Cortis factory, now earmarked for a car park, with an access road and landscaping. The visual assessment includes a comparison of the present- day landscape as captured on a Google Maps image, with a vis- ual simulation of the new devel- opment. In contrast, the street level montage from the rounda- bout is generated on a matching photo of the site which is also included in the assessment. Best practice guidelines on vis- ual simulations for environmen- tal impact assessments (EIAs) state that photomontages have to combine baseline photos which match exactly the com- puter-generated image. This particular application has not been submitted to an EIA. A scheduled windmill, known as the Mithna tas-Srina, is de- picted in the aerial photomon- tages and is shown with its up- per part restored. The Environment and Re- sources Authority had called for the rehabilitation of the degrad- ed ODZ area near the present factory, when objecting to the development. The application foresees the demolition of the existing SMW Cortis factory, the construction of a Lidl supermarket at ground floor level, set on an under- ground car park and a carpentry workshop. The proposed development The development will cover 7,500 square metres of land, 4,932sq.m of which will be occu- pied by a surface car park while 2,515sq.m will be dedicated to retail. The present area of con- tainment where commercial development is allowed covers 4,370sq.m. While the development is lo- cated in an area of containment where industrial uses and com- mercial uses are allowed, the supermarket's surface car park and access to Triq Attard will further protrude on the sur- rounding ODZ area. Originally the factory had a footprint of 2,095sq.m. In 2010 the PA approved an extension consisting of two basement lev- els of storage over 1,950sq.m. A permit issued to Joseph Cor- tis in 2014 had specified that the new premises be only used for "storage and distribution pur- poses", limiting a proposed re- tail shop to 58sq.m on ground floor level. Saved by the Central Link? As proposed the project would have resulted in a traffic grid- lock. But Transport Malta re- cently gave it clearance, claim- ing any traffic it will generate will be mitigated by the Central Link project in Attard. The new supermarket's car park will be accessed from At- tard Road while access to the loading bay will be from Mdina Road. The TIA identifies a high risk of junction failure caused by the traffic induced by the new Lidl in the roundabout between the Mdina-Attard roads, which also attracts school traffic to localities like Mgarr. The new network will limit the direct link to the area from Attard since ac- cess to Attard Road will only be available through a left turn for traffic from a westerly direction. It also foresees the Central Link thoroughfare becoming more attractive for car trips between the south-east of the island, and a reduction in traffic along the narrower Mdina road. The Żebbuġ council had previ- ously objected to the proposal because of the traffic congestion that will be created. Moreover, it pointed to the possible social impact the project could have on established local shops and vegetable sellers who earned their living within the locality. The council also noted that the supermarket chain already had another three mega stores with- in a four-mile radius, with the supermarkets in Luqa, Qormi and Santa Venera. Photomontages reveal extent of Zebbug Lidl's penetration outside development zones CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Following complaints regarding physi- cal accessibility, officials from the Com- mission carried out onsite inspections at all the commercial outlets located on the Gżira and Sliema front between No- vember last year and April this year. The officials found that, of the 292 outlets which didn't comply with the guidelines, 15 offered and alternative, while 18 had works in progress at the time of the inspections. A closer look at the findings reveal that 187 outlets required only the instal- lation of a temporary ramp to become accessible, 55 required the implementa- tion of minor works such as alterations in the main entrance door, while 11 re- quired major works such as the installa- tion of a passenger lift. The report follows a similar exercise undertaken last year in Valletta, which painted a similar picture. Onsite inspections carried out in Re- public Street and Merchants' Street be- tween June and July 2018 showed that, out of a total of 375 commercial outlets, only 31 outlets conformed to the AADG 2011, while 344 outlets did not. Of these, 278 outlets required only the installation of a temporary ramp, while 32 required the implementation of minor works and nine require major works. The reports include photos of the en- trances of all the outlets, with detailed measurements. Physical accessibility a 'major obstacle' There are 19,261 persons with a dis- ability registered with the Commission and 14,827 of these have a physical impairment. Yet physical accessibility remains a major obstacle in Malta, the CRPD said. CRPD Commissioner Oliver Scicluna underscored that commercial outlets which did not take major to be accessi- ble to disabled persons could be missing out on business. "While a lot has been achieved, much remains to be done," Scicluna said. "Persons with a disability are consum- ers, employers and employees; those businesses which choose to remain in- accessible are missing out on a section of their potential clientele." The CRPD highlighted that, last sum- mer, the Accessibility Standards for all in a Built Environment Regulations were formally announced. The standards used to be a national standard adopted by the Malta Compe- tition and Consumer Affairs Authority, which came into effect upon publica- tion of a legal notice on 10 April 2015,. They are now however directly trans- posed into Maltese law. Meanwhile, the Malta Business Dis- ability Forum, a platform chaired by the CRPD and composed of representatives from the disability, employment and civil society sectors, has been discussing the reports and will shortly present pro- posals on how to increase the physical accessibility of businesses. 292 commercial outlets do not conform with access-for-all guidelines