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5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 16 DECEMBER 2020 NEWS A record 157,000 people have received the in- fluenza vaccine so far, the Health Ministry said on Facebook. The seasonal influenza vaccine is available from all health centres for free and is now open for anybody wanting to get inoculated. The second batch of 100,000 influenza vac- cines arrived in Malta towards the end of No- vember after unexpected delays. The free service resumed for persons over 55 and those with chronic illnesses on 29 Novem- ber, and a week later it was available to everyone else. The first batch of 100,000 seasonal influenza vaccines was administered in October to older people, young children and people with chronic conditions. The health authorities have emphasised the importance this year of people taking the sea- sonal influenza vaccine to stave off the dual impact of ordinary flu and COVID-19 on the health system. Last year, 90,000 flu vaccines were adminis- tered throughout the whole influenza season. Record 157,000 people receive influenza vaccine ǡǤ Ǥǡ ʹ͵ǡͳͻͻͲȋ ͳͻͻͲȌǤ ǣ ͳȌ ʹȌ ǡ ͵Ȍ ͶȌ ͷȌ Ȍ ǣͳͻǡǦǡ ǡ ͳ͵Ͷͷǡ ǣͳͻǡǦ ǡ ǡ ͳ͵Ͷͷǡ ǣͻͲͻͶ At least 67,000 more people have received the free seasonal inf luenza vaccine this year so far when compared to 2019 JAMES DEBONO THE DB Group has present- ed new plans for its City Centre project on the former ITS site in Pembroke, which envisage two 17-storey blocks instead of a sin- gle 31-storey residential tower and reduces the height of the pro- posed hotel from 17 to 12 storeys. The change comes in the face of strong opposition from NGOs spearheaded by Moviment Graf- fitti, the Pembroke local council and over 5,800 objections. The original permit, confirmed by the PA's appeal's tribunal for a 38 storey tower and a 17 sto- rey hotel was revoked by the law courts after a Planning Authority board member involved in the re- al estate business was revealed to have a conflict of interest when voting for the project. The case was triggered by a unprecedent- ed crowd funding initiative which saw the public donating €24,350, well above the €15,000 target that was reached in the first four days of the campaign. In April the DB Group had al- ready reduced the height of the main tower from 38 storeys to 31 storeys while the hotel retained its original height of 17 storeys. But despite a publicity blitz by the group the minor changes did not defuse opposition to the project with the Labour led local coun- cil reiterating its stance against the development together with the PN led St Julians and Swieqi councils. The latest plans which include more substantial changes reduce the visual impact of the project. NGOs and local councils had also objected to the traffic im- pact which will require a tunnel passing under a Natura 2000 site linking Pembroke and Paceville, which is still being assessed by the Planning Authority. The transfer of the land where the Institute for Tourism Studies stood to the DB Group was also contested by NGOs and the Na- tionalist opposition. The government initially an- nounced that the price tag for the project was €60 million. But a breakdown of figures confirmed that that the direct payment (pre- mium) would consist of €15 mil- lion, €5 million paid in the first year and the rest over seven years, interest-free. €23.3 million will be paid to the State upon the re- demption of the land by the indi- vidual buyers of apartments while the rest will consist in ground rents which will be paid over the next century. A report by the National Audit Office concluded that Projects Malta which fell under the re- mit of disgraced former Minister Konrad Mizzi had failed to obtain authorisation from the Contracts Department before issuing a re- quest for proposals in November 2015 for the design, build and op- eration of the mixed tourism and leisure development. "This omis- sion casts doubt on the regular- ity of the RFP," the NAO said in its report tabled in Parliament in April. The report also noted that the residential component of the project, which was key in securing its viability, was given "limited ex- posure" in government's call. The DB Group was the only bidder. The NAO also said the Office of the Prime Minister and the Tour- ism Ministry passed the buck between each other when asked which entity took the decision to dispose of the ITS land. "In terms of governance, the origin of the decision to dispose of the site re- mained unclear, which was of grave concern given the nature of the land that was to be disposed of. No information supporting this decision or who was involved was provided, with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Min- istry of Tourism each assigning responsibility to the other," the NAO said. The DB group has welcomed findings of the Auditor General's report as this did not question the valuation of the land and "no alle- gations of whatsoever nature were levelled against the group in its dealings with the government-ap- pointed negotiating team." Plans reduce visual impact of controversial project set on public land transferred to the group by Projects Malta in 2017 DB Group downscales ITS plans to 17 storeys Photomontage shows latest DB Group proposal, compared to development application submitted in 2018 (shaded out), as seen from along Dragonara Road