Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1472486
9 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 JULY 2022 Romeo Romano garden: Wasteserv proposes fully-fledged restaurant Existing 'dirt road' to link Zabbar to Smart City JAMES DEBONO THE national waste agency Was- teserv is presenting a planning ap- plication to change the use of an old building known as 'ir-Razzett' in Santa Venera's Romeo Romano gardens, into a fully blown res- taurant with an open-air terrace, where even cooking will be allowed. Wastserv falls under the remit of the environment and energy min- istry of Miriam Dalli, but was pre- viously under the remit of Aaron Farrugia when the former environ- ment minister launched restora- tion works in the garden in 2021. While the application foresees the restoration of the 371sq.m old building and a water cistern in a presently closed part of the garden, it will also introduce a new com- mercial activity in a garden known as an oasis of tranquility and con- templation in a highly urbanised context. Indeed previous plans for a play area in a citrus grove near the proposed restaurant, approved through a fast-tracked procedure for state entities, was met by objec- tions by people fearing the loss of the garden's character. The plans, announced by former environment minister Aaron Far- rugia in 2021, were later revised and made more discreet following consultation with the Superintend- ence for Cultural Heritage. The 2021 plans had already referred to the restoration of a historic build- ing, which is currently abandoned, to serve as a "kitchen garden" simi- lar to the one in San Anton. A pre- vious permit issued earlier in 2020 had already approved the building's restoration but its use was limited to that of an educational facility. The restaurant plans do not fore- see any outside chairs and tables but include both an indoor private dining area as well as an open- air terrace for diners adorned by planters. A veritable 'secret garden' in the middle of a densely populated area, the Romeo Romano Gardens date back to the 18th century and orig- inally formed part of the garden complex of Casa Leoni in Santa Venera. In 1977, the back gardens were sectioned off and opened up to the public. Casa Leoni which presently hosts the Environment Ministry was built as a summer residence for Grand Master Ma- noel de Vilhena. JAMES DEBONO THE agreement with Smart City on the relocation of the Ameri- can University of Malta campus from Zonqor, includes an obliga- tion on government to construct a new connection road linking Bieb is-Sultan in Zabbar, to the Cappuchin's convent in Kalkara. A 643m dual carriageway link- ing the two landmarks was al- ready proposed in 2007. But as proposed, the road would have resulted in the loss of 14,500sq.m of agricultural land in the scenic Tal-Fata area in Zabbar. Now, a spokesperson for econ- omy minister Silvio Schembri revealed that an existing dirt road is now being considered for the road link. "Government is exploring a different route from that proposed in the 2007 application, utilising an existing dirt road instead of passing the road right through agricultural land at tal-Fata as originally pro- posed in 2007," a spokesperson confirmed. The ministry did not give any further details on the proposed road link, which is bound to im- pact on land adjacent to the dirt road. A new planning applica- tion outlining the new route still has to be presented. The application presented in 2007 had already been subject- ed to an Environment Impact Assessment in 2010, which con- firmed the negative impact on agricultural land, while arguing that the road was required to avoid congestion and increased pollution resulting from an in- crease of traffic in the area. The application was nev- er withdrawn but has been dormant since 2010. One of the EIA studies con- cluded that 24 farmers, mostly tilling the land on a part-time basis, would have been affected by the development proposed in 2007. The development would have resulted in the dismantling of rubble walls, the uprooting of a number of trees and the destruction of rural structures. Moreover, the road would have split the Tal-Fata agriculture ar- ea into two blocks of land, while introducing traffic pollution in to the heartland of Tal-Fata. But the document claimed that the new traffic expected because of the opening of Smart City Mal- ta "is of such magnitude" that the new road is needed. But the EIA also warned that in absence of a proposed upgrade of the Tal-Barrani junction the project would have created more prob- lems in Fgura and Zabbar. The idea of relocating the road from arable land to fallow land nearer to the Cottonera fortifi- cations was already considered in EIA studies published in 2010 and was originally proposed by Department of Agriculture in 2007. But the proposal was firm- ly objected to by the Superitend- ence for Cultural Heritage due to the proximity to the Cotton- era lines, a complex system of fortifications designed by Ital- ian engineer Antonio Maurizio Valperga in the 17th Century, and named after Grand Master Nicolas Cottoner.