Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1503087
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 JULY 2023 NEWS Comino developers set of bungalow area in new KURT SANSONE HV Hospitality, the owner of the hotel and bungalow sites in Comino, is set to reduce the area of the proposed bungalow site, this newspaper has learnt. This means that the footprint of the proposed bungalow site, will mirror that of the existing buildings, if approved by the Planning Authority (PA). The development comes in the wake of strong opposition from environmental organisa- tions to the company's plans to redevelop the site of the former Comino Hotel. HV Hospitality is currently awaiting planning permission to redevelop the shuttered ho- tel at San Niklaw Bay and bun- galows at Santa Marija Bay as a five-star wellness retreat, to be operated by Six Senses. The initial plans submitted to the PA by HV Hospitality pro- posed a reduction of 7,154sq.m in the hotel site at San Niklaw Bay. However, this reduction was offset by a larger take-up of 2,032sq.m of land at the bunga- low site at Santa Marija Bay, leading to an overall reduction in land use of 5,122 sq.m. This move drew criticism from NGOs, who were con- cerned about the increased built area at the bungalow site, despite the overall reduction in footprint. In a counter-exhibition last April, NGOs had flagged the discrepancies between the de- veloper's 'sustainable plans' and the impact the develop- ments would have on Comino, particularly in the serene sanc- tuary of Santa Marija Bay. The organizations accused Hili Group of manipulating da- ta to make the project appear less impactful than it really is, especially in Santa Marija Bay. However, the updated plans are set to show a reduction in footprint of 8,244sq.m, equiv- alent to approximately 32 ten- nis courts. The buildings at the bungalow site at Santa Marija Bay will still recede from the foreshore and the bungalows will still be lower in height, but HV Hospitality will not seek compensation for these adjust- ments with additional land on the site. When contacted, a spokes- person for HV Hospitali- ty confirmed the change in plans: "We have taken note of the concerns raised by all the stakeholders. Our public ex- Environmental groups held a counter-exhibition earlier this year to counter the claims made by the Hili Group CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 But what appears to be of great- er concern is the misplaced in- sistence by the Prime Minister, Health Minister Chris Fearne and Justice Minister Jonathan Attard that the final version retained the original principles of the Bill. "This is simply not the case and it pains me that instead of admitting it, we are insisting that women's health is also protected; it is not and this contrasts with the very strong defence the Prime Minis- ter and Chris Fearne had put up when Bill 28 was first unveiled and there was backlash over the health aspect," another MP said. When Bill 28 was unveiled last November, it proposed two lim- ited exceptions to the Criminal Code, allowing abortion to take place if a woman's life or health is in danger. Several months later the wording was changed to al- low an abortion if a woman's life is in 'immediate danger' or if her health is in 'grave jeopardy that may lead to death'. The new version was approved unanimously without amend- ments at committee stage in parliament and at Third Reading stage last week after the Opposi- tion welcomed the changes. The church and pro-life groups also applauded the government. But pro-choice activists, who had already considered the orig- inal Bill as the bare minimum, were left reeling, describing the now approved law as a "betrayal" of women. Government's U-turn also has its strategic pitfalls, according to a veteran MP. "If the original pro- posal was good and something we believed in, we should have explained it better and convinced people. As things turned out we ended up pleasing no one; the Op- position claimed victory; pro-life groups claimed they were right all this time; and in the process liberals who have supported the party's progressive and reformist agenda over the past years felt be- trayed. What did the PL gain from this?" Another MP was more con- cerned about the impression government gave that it nego- tiated the revised wording with President George Vella, who had threatened to resign over the mat- ter. "The government was weakened when it was suggested that there had been talks with the President. This is an ugly precedent… since when does the president dictate what laws pass through parlia- ment?" This is not a rebellion, a pro- choice MP said, but it has created "a lot of discomfort" on different levels in the Labour backbench. "We wanted to achieve a limited but historic reform and when we finally delivered in parliament on the Third Reading, the key players – Robert Abela and Chris Fearne – were not even there to vote," he said with an air of disappoint- ment. "Whenever the party achieved historic reforms on marriage equality, civil unions, and IVF, we always insisted on declaring our vote to emphasise its importance but not this time. Why?" He points his finger at Robert Abela's style of politics that ac- cording to him is characterised by "unexplained U-turns" when faced with pressure. Meanwhile, Malta has 'pro- gressed' from being the only EU country with a blanket ban on abortion to one with the strictest anti-abortion law irrespective of the new amendment. Health Minister Chris Fearne (right) and Justice Minister Jonathan Attard (left) insist that the final version retained the original principles of the Bill Government's U-turn 'has its strategic pitfalls'