Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1245222
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 MAY 2020 NEWS Rabat zoo's illegal restaurant wants permit JAMES DEBONO THE owner of a Rabat zoo wants to regularise an illegal restaurant which has been under enforce- ment orders by the Planning Au- thority since 2017. The owner of the Rabat Wild- life Park is seeking a permit to reconstruct a number of struc- tures that were damaged in a fire which cost the life of two leopards in 2017. But the ap- plication also foresees the reg- ularisation of an illegal restau- rant, a residential quarter and a 1,600sq.m extension of the zoo that was approved in 2014 on a site which is not even contig- uous to the approved zoo. The area is described as a "quaran- tine area" in the application. The PA had already issued an enforcement notice against the illegal restaurant in 2017. In 2019, a new enforcement no- tice was issued on illegal cages, and an illegal change-of-use of an agricultural field for the keeping of exotic animals. The so-called quarantine area includes an attendant quarters and separate enclosures for deer, llamas, tigers and bears. Despite these illegalities, the Malta Tourism Authority has endorsed the proposal. "The Malta Tourism Authority finds no objection… as long as the catering services act as ancil- lary facilities of the park," the MTA said in submissions on the development. The zoo is located outside developments zones in open countryside, just outside the nearby Natura 2000 site of l-Imtaħleb. It was permitted in 2014 in the face of strong ob- jections by the Environment and Resources Authority's pre- cursor, the environment pro- tection directorate. The ERA is now firmly ob- jecting to the application, con- demning the practice of first carrying out unjustified, illegal development on ODZ land irre- spective of the environmental impacts, and then applying for retroactive sanctioning of the fait accompli. "This behaviour is of major concern, and should not be rewarded through the issuing of a development per- mit. Such land should remain free from development." The ERA also said the quar- antine area is not even contigu- ous with the site and is actually larger than the area currently approved for the zoo itself. The ERA said this exposed the fail- ure to limit the development to a single, self-contained site and risks paving the way for more land uptake to give the two sites some form of operational access routes. The environmental NGO Din l-Art Helwa also objected to the application, insisting that a restaurant in such a remote, highly sensitive ODZ site was "completely unacceptable and must under no circumstances be entertained by the compe- tent authority". Two leopards, a number of monkeys and birds perished during the 2017 fires. But the tigers, lions and bears managed to survive. Owner Christopher Borg, who used to live in a house inside the zoo, claimed that had woken up at around 5am when the lights inside his house started flickering on and off due to a short circuit. He went outside to switch off the electricity and turn on the gen- erator, when he saw a massive fire over the leopards' enclo- sure. Owner Christopher Borg with one of his zoo's tigers POSTS OF LAWYER AND TRAINEE LAWYER AT THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL The Office of the Attorney General Agency is inviting applications for posts in the grade of Law-yer and Trainee Lawyer to carry out prosecution and related duties. The selected candidates will be employed on a full time indefinite term basis, subject to a probation period, and will be required to work for a minimum of forty hours per week. Applicants must, at least, be in possession of a warrant to practice the profession of Advocate and, in the case of applicants for the post of Lawyer, must have at least one year experience in the prac- tice of the profession covered by a warrant. . Letters of application, including a detailed CV, should be addressed to: e Administration Jobplus Vacancy Nos 357953/4, Permit Nos. 52/2019 and 53/2019 Office of the Attorney General, No. 53, Admiralty House, South Street, Valletta and should be submitted by not later than Friday 29th May 2020 at 13.00 hrs. Objection! there is no sanitiser in this court of law MATTHEW AGIUS A semblance of normality resumes in the law courts, with urgent sittings heard after the COVID-19 lockdown. Three days ago, the registry of courts was re-opened for busi- ness. After putting their bags through an X-Ray machine and stepping into a metal detec- tor, visitors are now also being zapped with an infrared ther- mometer. Hand sanitizer pumps have been installed outside every hall and inside the courtrooms themselves, clingfilm separators wrapped around all benches and chairs enforce social distanc- ing. Perspex screens have been installed on most public-facing desks. When a court is in session, everyone is required to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth – and there is a vast varie- ty of models, colours and shapes on display in your average sit- ting. Law- y e r s s a i d it would always be difficult to close the courts to the people. "Justice has a public element to it which cannot be easily removed. In crim- inal matters, parties have to be present and in most civil cases, the parties would want to follow proceedings in the courtroom alongside their lawyer," one law- yer said. Even if the social distancing is sorted out in the courtroom, there are often large groups of people in the corridors, waiting to be called in. The immediate solution to slow the growing backlog in cas- es would be to streamline civil and commercial proceedings and hold them remotely. The criminal courts, sittings of which cannot be held remotely, require a strict diary system to limit the influx of people at any one time. As has happened already, time-critical domestic violence and terrorism-related cases are being given precedence.