Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1506906
13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 SEPTEMBER 2023 INVITATION TO TENDER For the design, supply, installation and commissioning of two ground-mounted photovoltaic generating systems at Malta International Airport. (MIA/15/23) Malta International Airport plc invites submissions from suitably qualified organisations for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of two ground-mounted photovoltaic generating systems at Malta International Airport. Invitation to tender documents may be collected from the Malta International Airport plc Head Office during office hours against payment of €250. Complete submissions must be deposited within the tender box provided at the MIA Head Office, 2nd Floor, Air Terminal Building, Luqa, LQA 4000 Malta, by not later than 1100hrs of Friday, 6th October, 2023. Offers received after this date will not be considered. Malta International Airport plc Head Oce Malta International Airport 2nd Floor, Luqa LQA 4000 Tel: +356 21249600 Fax: +356 21249563 Email: tender@maltairport.com tranquility to turmoil lack of police presence," Galea said. Endless construction Despite already being the larg- est locality in Malta, there seems to be no sign of growth abating with more and more residences being built around the clock. In the first and second quarter of 2023, St Paul's Bay saw the highest number of residential building permits being issued. According to Graziella Galea this creates two different prob- lems. There are properties being built on top of existing buildings and in the process causing dam- age to road infrastructure and ex- isting properties. And newly built properties are rising to as much as eight stories, creating more pressure on the water and drain- age infrastructure. These strains on infrastructure are further exacerbated when one considers that a number of rent- ed properties are used to house several residents, Galea added. "The fact that large scale pro- jects are taking too long to fin- ish, is also creating a sense that St Paul's Bay is all a construction site," she said. Writing was on the wall Interestingly, Graziella Galea's father, ex-PN minister, Ċensu Galea had written his Masters in Maltese thesis in 2012 on the transformation of St Paul's Bay. He had highlighted the same trou- bling realities that the locality is experiencing today. At the time, Ċensu Galea had noted that the locality was once the third smallest village on the island, and by 2005 it had already claimed the title of the second largest locality in Malta. Galea even predicted that if no action was taken, St Paul's Bay would become the largest locality in the country, which he attributed to rapid construction of apartment complexes with cheap rental pric- es. At the time of writing his thesis, Galea noted that St Paul's Bay lo- cals whose families had lived there for generations were unwelcom- ing of outsiders - foreign, as well as Maltese people - who came to the locality and changed its character- istics. He had noted that refugee communities were more likely to live in a segregated manner and Maltese residents who lived in the locality during the summer would cause parking problems for locals. Fast forward more than 10 years and those same issues have grown exponentially. Solutions Finding solutions is not easy but ADPD's Sandra Gauci believes that dividing St Paul's Bay into two or three separate localities could help make it administrative- ly more manageable. "St Paul's Bay's population is close to that of Gozo (where sev- eral local councils exist) without accounting for tourists," Gauci said, adding this issue required immediate attention. Apart from the original village of St Paul's Bay, the locality compris- es Buġibba, Qawra, Xemxija and Burmarrad. But Graziella Galea was not too keen on splitting the locality. What is mostly needed is "a good understanding of the society that is building up in the area", she said. Galea said the creation of sub- committees could help to gather information and propose solu- tions for the betterment of the locality. Enforcement with regards to environmental matters and noise pollution was another point Galea brought up. But she insisted that the local council has to have all the "finan- cial support that is required to support the society which lives in it." With regards to finances, both Galea and Gauci pointed towards generating income through tour- ism. Galea stated that the local council could be financed from the eco tax paid by tourists, as well as from the licences paid by commercial entities. "This could be a source of addi- tional income for the council to mitigate the problems created by tourism itself," Galea said. Gauci went one step further calling for the introduction of a "tourist tax" which would directly finance the local council. And in order to address the seg- regation within the community, Gauci insisted on making resi- dents welcome, irrespective of who they are. "They have to feel that they belong here or else they will keep treating it simply as a place with no love," Gauci said. Above: Population growth and tourism have created pressure on the locality's infrastructure, including a waste problem Left: New buildings going up mean that the locality's population is expected to continue growing Sandra Gauci and Graziella Galea