Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1297549
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 OCTOBER 2020 NEWS NICOLE MEILAK MOVIMENT Graffitti has pub- lished a report on planning and construction reform in Malta, that follows on from their 2019 Iż-Żejjed Kollu Żejjed protest, with proposals to regulate sec- tors affecting the quality of life of residents in Malta. The document, endorsed by 23 groups, is a culmination of various consultations with NGOs, involving technical and legal advice, as well as a public forum held in August of last year, where Graffitti invited cit- izens for a discussion on ideas to improve the quality of resi- dents' lives. "Through our proposals, we are hoping to ensure the sus- tainability of what is an impor- tant industry for the Maltese economy; however, we think it is high time that 'sustainabil- ity' no longer remains a mere buzzword used to justify profits for the business classes, but it should also become a reality for thousands of citizens and their quality of life," the NGO said. A salient demand brought up in the document is the revision of several policies and legislative acts. Among the proposals is the revision of various planning papers, including the SPED and Rural Policy 2014 documents, to better protect townscapes and designated ODZ areas. This includes the closing of various loopholes in SPED and prohib- iting the extension of existing dwellings outside development zones (ODZ). Graffitti make further propos- als on the powers and compo- sition of the Planning Board, and will demand that PA board members be held personally responsible for their conduct if policies or ethical codes are breached or in the event of a conflict of interest, with the ability to be sued for damages caused by their misdeeds. In submitting development applications, Graffitti calls for a complete ban on the practice of splitting a single project in- to smaller applications to avoid necessary impact assessments, with any correspondence or in- formation on submitted designs to be made fully available and free of charge. Vocal challengers of large- scale projects like the ITS-DB development, Graffitti also call for appropriate investigation by authorities like the FIAU into the source of wealth of develop- ers proposing mega-projects. They will also demand a mor- atorium on large-scale projects until national and localised masterplans are enacted. In a bid to counter an unreg- ulated growth in construction, Graffitti will call for a govern- ment-run registry of develop- ers and contractors in order to revoke the existing agreement between the Malta Developers Association and the Building Regulation Office. A public complaints system is proposed alongside a register of these complaints to allow for fol- low-ups and transparency, as well as the opportunity to black- list contractors in the event of repeated complaints. Echoing an earlier proposal by the Kamra tal-Periti, Graf- fitti also illustrated the need for a legal framework that brings together all building and con- struction regulations under one single law, and introduce a Building Code and Construc- tion Code. Graffitti also proposed an on- going audit of all construction sites under operation. LAURA CALLEJA THE majority of persons who called the 1772 hotline set up at the start of COVID-19, are elder- ly people struggling with loneli- ness, Agenzija Appogg's service area leader Svetlana Buttigieg re- vealed with MaltaToday. Buttigieg said that while the majority of callers were the el- derly, a considerable number of people from younger age brack- ets had also felt the need to reach out for help. On Monday, information given in parliament by Family Minis- ter Michael Falzon disclosed that 7,861 persons had reached out to the 1772 helpline between March and September. "The majority of people needed a listening and empathic ear to share their daily problems with, since they either felt lonely be- cause they were socially isolat- ed, or else felt lonely even if they lived in a house full of people but had nobody to listen and under- stand them," Buttigieg said. A spike in calls mirrored Mal- ta's partial lockdown early in the year after schools were shut down, and airports were closed. For many, their social life had come to a standstill. The helpline is run by the Foun- dation for Social Welfare Servic- es, the national welfare agency, and is aimed at providing support and help for those socially isolat- ed from family friends, of any age, or who feel sad or anxious and want to share their thoughts with a professional. "Any caller who does not wish to be referred to another service can remain anonymous. If a person wishes to be referred to another service, they would need to leave their de- tails and give their verbal consent for the referral to be passed on," Buttigieg said. She said that all calls were treat- ed as confidential and would only be passed on to other social work services, if the need arose, always with the consent of the caller. "If the caller manifests any intention of harming himself or third par- ties, then the call would need to be passed on to the relevant pro- fessionals who can further assist in the case, even without the con- sent of the caller." Buttigieg said that while some may feel reluctant to share their problems and issues with fam- ily or friends because they feel judged, the helpline offered un- biased and non-judgmental sup- port to any caller. "We had people reaching out for help because they did not know how to adapt to this new reality, parents who did not know how to contain their children's behaviour at home, couples hav- ing relationship issues since they were both working from home and had to change their whole routine, people worried about their elderly parents who still used to go out and about not- withstanding the guidelines from Health Authorities," she said. Buttigieg said that they also had callers with mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, stating that the COVID-19 pan- demic had been a setback for their mental health, and some also had suicidal issues. In those cases, Buttigieg said immediate help and support was provided through emergency services. "We feel privileged that the public has chosen to put their trust in us during these stressful times," she said. Commenting on the number of calls in five months, Buttigieg said that they were prepared and expected to receive a large num- ber of calls during the pandemic since this was an extraordinary situation. "On a psychological and emotional level, when peo- ple are disrupted from their dai- ly routine and experience events which are out of the ordinary, it is expected that one feels dis- tressed." lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt 179 or 1772? The main difference between the help- lines is that helpline 179 takes calls of a more serious nature including child abuse, including over the internet, do- mestic violence, homeliness, substance abuse and gambling, usury, behavioural problems, relationship problems, suicide and so on. "1772 is indicated for people who need someone to listen to them, to their daily worries and struggles. For those who are lonely and wish to have a listening and empathic ear," Svetland Buttigieg said. Feeling lonely? Loneliness Helpline is available on a 24/7 basis and it is free from landlines. Any person who feels that they need to speak to someone, who feels anxious or socially isolated from family and friends and/or who wants a referral to a social work service can phone on this helpline. Over 7,800 call COVID helpline, isolation is chief problem Moratorium for large- scale projects without masterplan, Graffitti proposes