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NEWS
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 JULY 2023
set to reduce footprint
new plans
hibition about the project was
a genuine listening exercise.
We have always aimed to find
the best way forward for this
unique site, one that considers
environmental sustainability
and respects the natural beauty
of the area. The amendments
we will submit next week strike
the right balance between the
public's concerns, the site re-
quirements, and the touristic
needs envisioned by the con-
cession and the local plans."
In an interview with MaltaTo-
day last March, Prime Minister
Robert Abela had said develop-
ers should stick to the hotel's
existing footprint.
He said good sense should pre-
vail and urged the developers to
take note of the public outcry.
"Good sense tells you that
the sensitivity of the location
dictates that the footprint of
the project should not be big-
ger," Abela told MaltaToday.
"This is the message I sent to
the Planning Authority and the
message I want to send the de-
velopers from here."
The area, which is a Natura
2000 site, will also have inva-
sive and alien species removed
and more than 55,000 endemic
trees, shrubs and plants will be
planted.
A render from the original plans
submitted by HV Hospitality
of how the bungalow area on
Comino will look. The company
is now proposing a reduction in
footprint following public outcry
over its plans to redevelop the
now shuttered Comino Hotel and
bungalows resort.