Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1313317
JAMES DEBONO THE owners of the Garden of Eden wed- ding hall in Zurrieq have downscaled plans for a tourist complex, in their bid to obtain the green light for 12 cabanas overlooking the picturesque Wied Babu valley in Zur- rieq. Maurizio Baldacchino is proposing the construction of 12 bungalows, each with pool and private garden, this time devel- oper over a larger footprint that will in- clude the currently paved and landscaped area around the Garden of Eden wedding wall. But significantly, no development will take place in an illegal car park that has been under PA enforcement since 1998, as originally proposed. That application was dropped in May following objections by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA). The bungalows will occupy over 4,600sq.m on the total 12,300sq.m area. Ranging in size between 92sq.m and 170sq.m, the luxury cabanas will come with 770sq.m of paving and a 550sq.m garden. The developers are invoking the con- troversial rural policy which permits the redevelopment of existing countryside buildings. The development is being linked to an "environment management plan" for the valley, most of which is owned by Baldacchino Holdings, the owners of wedding hall. They say the bungalows, designed by architect Ray Demicoli will be "unique, short-term accommodation units within the beautiful setting of Wied Babu", attracting a niche market seek- ing high-quality accommodation. "The scheme will be providing tourist accom- modation in a rural setting and in an area that has many tourist attractions but has limited accommodation available." If approved the cabanas will enjoy breath-taking views of the Blue Grotto, It-Torri ta' Xutu at Wied iż-Żurrieq, the open sea and Filfla. The site is located in the vicinity of a Natura 2000 site. While the development is now largely restricted to presently developed land, the development of a resort next to a Nat- ura 2000 site is still bound to be contro- versial, prompting fears of future devel- opments in the sensitive area. Baldacchino has also been issued with a permit to rebuild illegally constructed ag- ricultural stores in the same valley. 9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 NOVEMBER 2020 NEWS instead of opening an advent calendar and getting a choco- late, they put one item into a box and at the end of the 24 days at Christmas there will be 24 items in a box, and those items will help us feed a family." She said that people should keep in mind that the foodbank is always struggling to get break- fast items. "Cereal, UHT milk, tinned milk... we are also in need of jam and tinned fruit. Usually, they are things that are slightly more expensive. It would help us that instead of getting three bags of pasta, we get one cereal box, or one tinned fruit, or one UHT milk," Caruana said. Anyone interested in partic- ipating can drop off reverse advent calendar boxes at their nearest Quicklets, Zanzi home outlets, The Atrium, Jacob's Brew (Marsascala), Intercomp locations, The London Barber Shop, XFM Radio Station, as well as the Foundation's new site in Marsa. lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt This year, for the fifth year in a row, the Lifeline Foundation is running a reverse advent calendar. "Cereal, UHT milk, tinned milk... we are also in need of jam and tinned fruit. Usually, they are things that are slightly more expensive. It would help us that instead of getting three bags of pasta, we get one cereal box, or one tinned fruit, or one UHT milk." Watchdog: Kalkara marina extension will disturb bastion views JAMES DEBONO THE Superintendence for Cultural Her- itage has expressed its concern on the extension of the Kalkara yacht marina, through the introduction of 305 new berthing spaces over a 35,000sq.m space of the creek along Triq Sally Port and Triq ix-Xatt. Malta's cultural heritage watchdog warned about the intensity and formal layout of the mooring bays, calling for "a more organic layout to minimise the im- pact on views within this area of high sce- nic value." In the absence of a revision to plans, the SCH has called on the PA to refuse Trans- port Malta's application. Transport Malta acknowledged that the project will increase the number of large boats berthed in the inlet, and may result in the "increase the overall number of boats moored in the area." One of the expected impacts of the pro- ject is the disturbance of views of the Bir- gu bastions and Kalkara, which form part of the Area of High Landscape Value of the Harbour Fortifications. This will re- sult in a negative impact on the harbour views from the pedestrian promenade. The adverse visual impact could be miti- gated by capping the number of large ves- sels mooring in the inlet, and by installing their mooring buoys in areas exerting the least visual impact in the inlet. But the increase in number and density of boats in the inlet may exacerbate the water quality in the harbour due to addi- tional seepage and leakage of fuels, lubri- cating oils, and other chemicals. The project is being justified as a way of creating a uniform mooring arrangement for boats, which are presently anchored in a random and haphazard manner. In October 2019 a spokesperson for TM confirmed potential plans for a request for proposal "for an extension to the marina in the area" as well as additional pontoons and further infrastructural investment. The development of 12 cabanas with pools have been restricted to the site of existing wedding hall and surrounding landscaped areas Downscaled bungalow complex for Wied Babu in Zurrieq