Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1491702
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 FEBRUARY 2023 NEWS tablished at Lm4,240 – a nomi- nal €11,768 paid annually to the government. The deed hinted at more ex- tensive development by stat- ing that construction may be allowed on the 'parkland' on condition that the ground rent paid is raised to that paid for the building area. In 1998, Kemmuna Limited filed a planning application for an extension of the hotel but its processing was suspended by the planning authority in 2003 when the architect failed to submit the required documents within the legal time-frame. From Mizzi to Gasan and Tu- mas In a sign of renewed interest by developers, in 2007 the busi- ness magnates Joseph Gasan and George Fenech bought a share in Kemmuna Ltd, after acquiring Ropes Services Ltd, an offshore company registered in the Isle of Man. Ropes Services then proceed- ed to acquire 551,470 ordinary shares in Kemmuna Limited, with the remaining 698,530 be- longing to Mizzi Associated En- terprises, then owned by prop- erty magnate Albert Mizzi. In the meantime, another Kemmuna shareholder – Lom- bard Bank – also sold its shares, to Hili Investments Ltd, which immediately sold their shares to Ropes Services. This was followed by an in- crease of the company's au- thorised share capital, which now amounted to €3.4 million. Lombard Bank director Joseph Said and Albert Mizzi's son Alec gave up their directorship in Kemmuna, to be replaced by Gasan and Fenech. Exit Tumas and Gasan, Enter Hili But in 2019 Hili Ventures launched an €80 million bond issue, with the unsecured bonds directed to the acquisition of the Comino Hotel. The acquisi- tion of the hotel and bungalows was made with a view to devel- oping the site into a mixed-use hospitality project, including a luxury hotel and upmarket ser- viced bungalows. Hili Ventures' property valua- tion report stated that in an in- itial meeting with the Planning Authority it was outlined that current policy would permit the redevelopment of the hotel and bungalows, providing that the proposed total gross floor area remains unchanged. The local plan for Comino accords the island the status of Special Ar- ea of Conservation and nature reserve, and only allows devel- opers to "upgrade" the existing tourist complex and hotel if it is "compatible with the sensitivity of the surrounding context". Subsequently an application was presented to increase the number of bungalows from the current 13 to 21, increasing the land take-up at Santa Marija beach by more than 3,697sq.m. The removal of tennis courts from the hotel area facing San Niklaw beach will reduce the footprint of the hotel by 7,000sq.m. An Environment Impact As- sessment presented in 2021 by consultants commissioned by Hili Ventures had concluded that the development will gen- erate a "large" change in what is a highly sensitive landscape. The village will overlook Santa Marija Bay, creating a sense of a "greater, denser, built-up ar- ea" as a change from a tourist complex to private and indi- vidually-owned residences will change both the physical and social landscape. The EIA also warned that the luxury homes will introduce "a group of permanent residences to an island that is essential- ly uninhabited and part of the Maltese islands' rural heritage and environment." The EIA described the new hotel replacing the present structure will be a "more subtle building" that will blend in bet- ter with the environment. But the number of bungalows will increase and appear closer to- gether, "increasing the density of the built-up part of this area", the EIA warned. Subsequently in the face of public outrage, the number of bungalows was reduced from 21 to 19 reducing the extra land take up of the bungalows to around 2,000sq.m. An outhouse and concierge pavilion and one of the two proposed piers in Santa Marija Bay were also re- moved. Facing criticism that the new bungalows would result in land speculation, Hili Ven- tures now insists that the new bungalows on Comino will not be for sale but managed by the hotel operator as hotel suites. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt - D A I L ^ S ( P R E S S T = ^ r r ( f a y ^ i j i t r i 7 7 1 9 3 f ' *** t T 9 f seteces plan by JPs P R I S O N E R S could i i i f u t u r e be behind bars d u r i n g the' day a n d a t home w a t c h i n g tel^ vision i n the evening.- A r e v o l u t i o n a r y scheme f o r day-only • i m p r i s o n m e n t was urged yesterday by t h e leaders o f B r i t a i n ' s magistrates. T h e y suggest t h a t m i n o r offenders could Spend the d a y I n p n s o r i centres a n d ' be paroled each; evening a n d a l l day Sunday.- ..' • - . P e r s i s t e n t - x i e t t y ' thieves, t r a f f i c ' o f f e n d e r s a n d fine d e - f a u l t e r s w o u l d . b e among those affected.'; T h e M a g i s t r a t e s ' . Associa- t i o n bpUeves- t h e ' " a w a y d a y j a i l s " could be a credible a l t e r n a t i v e , to n o r m a l prisons" w i t h o u t p u t t i n g t o o m u c h s t r a i n on a n offender's f a m i l y . In'! some cases, ofienders I n full-tinse"-JTOrk would a t t e n d p r i s o n ' ' Ce n t r e s o n l y i n t h e evenings.i' " . ,' ;. ' . "The maglslratea have aslced the^Home- O f a c e t o set u p a s t u d y t o see i f the idea w o u l d w o r k , . T h e association's secretary, M r G e o H r m . M o r r a a n said l a s t n i g h t : " ViTefbelieve t h e p r i s o n p o p u l a t i o n coul d be sub- s t a n t i a l l y reduced by remov- i n g t h o s e - p e t t y i qflenders who present n o . t h t e ' i t t o . s e c u r i t y . " clock raises 999 alarin A N O I j 6 g r a n d f a t h e r clock set off ft m a j o r a l e r t yester- d a y . . . by g i v i n g off an odd odour. T h e smell d r i f t e d f r o m a n a n t i q u e ' shop t o t b e - bus s t a t i o n n e x t door I n Chiches- t e r , Sussex. T h i n k i n g i t was B y , ROGER M I S F U D I n V a l l e t t a M A L T A yesterday rejected a British request for the extradition of miliionaire John Gaul. G a u l , 69,- w a n t e d i n c o n n e c t i o n .w^^ s h o t g u n m u r d e r o f h i s 3 4 - y e a r - o l d w i f e , B a r b a r a , d e s c r i b e d : t h ^ v e r d i c t as " a t r i u m p h f o r M a l t e s e j u s t i c e . " •; . - T h e m a g i s t r a t e s a i d t h e p r o s e c u t i o n c a s e - w a s w e a k . T h e r e w a s n o p r o o f t h a t G a u l h a d t r i e d t o p r o c u r e h i s w i f e ' s m u r d e r . . • • • G a u l h a d h i r e d ' t w o l o p l a w y e r s . t o d e f e n d h i m I n t h e e x t r a d i t i o n h e a r i n g s , - w h i c h b e g a n i n M a y . T h e first w a s D r O a r m e i o B o n n i e i , d e p u t y l e a d e r o f M a l t a ' s n i l i i i . g L a l K J u r P a r t y . "The s e c o n d , D r G u l d o D e m a r c o , i s d e j u u t y l e a d e r o f t h e N a t i o n a l i s t o p p o s i t i o n p a r t y . Gaul's w i f e - was gunned d o w n i n B r i g h t o n i n 1976. T w o m e n , w h o c l a i m e d t h e y were p a i d £5,000 t o c a r r y o u t t h e m u r d e r , a r e ' now, serving l i f e sentences.. I n 1977 police issued w a r - r a n t s for CJaul's arrest. B u t he fled, a n d the f o l l o w i n g year t u r n e d up i n M a l t a w i t h his daughter's f o r m e r n a n n y Angela F i l c h , t h e n - 25. P o l i t i c a l T h e y have since m a r r i e d - she i s Gaul's filth w i f e — a n d have a t w o - y e a r - o l d son, X a v l e r , A f t e r yesterday's h e a r i n g a smIUng G a u l said h e h a d n o plans f o r the f u t u r e , a d d i n g : " I have no t r a v e l plans, none whatsoever, except t o h a v e a A f r e e m a n : . . J o h n G a u l w i t h h i s w i f e a n i i s o n y e s t e r d a y Real estate tycoon and Soho property magnate John Gaul (below) had been at one point the lessor of the island of Comino, for a time delegating the development of his property there to BICAL owner Cecil Pace Top: as they want it... the redevelopment of the bungalows on Comino island as envisaged by the Hili Group. No matter their architectural value, the massification of the bungalow areas on the island will be intense compared to the situation today