Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1510125
12 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 OCTOBER 2023 ANNOUNCEMENT OF A CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS UNDER European Regional Development Fund 2021-2027 The Ministry responsible for European Funds would like to announce that it is launching a call for project proposals in the following area: Priority 3. PO 4 - A more social and inclusive Europe implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights RSO4.5 – Ensuring equal access to health care and fostering resilience of health systems, including primary care, and promoting the transition from institutional to family-and community-based care (ERDF) This call shall specifically focus on the investment in specialised recreational facilities for persons with a disability or illness and their families and it is targeting only Non-Government Organisations and Voluntary Organisations in the health and/or disability sector. The call will close on 2 nd February 2024 at noon. The online application form for the submission of project proposals and supporting documentation are available on https://fondi.eu/what-funding-is-available/. Prospective Applicants are encouraged to refer to the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the Just Transition Fund Programme and the Eligibility Guidance Notes to confirm whether their proposals are eligible for funding through this call for project proposals. Further information on this call and on the European Structural and Investment Funds may be obtained from https://fondi.eu/. Any query should be sent by email on fondi.eu@gov.mt. A dedicated information session is being organised on Tuesday, 31 st October 2023 at 16:00 at the offices of Servizzi Ewropej f'Malta – 280, Republic Street, Valletta. For further details kindly visit the website indicated above where all the call related documentation is available. JAMES DEBONO AN application has been pre- sented to construct a four-sto- rey office block along the Birkirkara bypass in the garden of an old house which lies out- side development boundaries. The office block will abut a narrow ODZ alley known as Sqaq it-Tiġieġ which leads in- to the San Gwann industrial estate, and a row of two-storey buildings along Triq San Ġiljan facing the Birkirkara by-pass. As proposed, the new con- temporary building will retain the façade and a significant part of the old building retaining its prominence when viewed from the bypass. The application presented by owner Neil Desira follows the approval of the height and volumes of the project by the Planning Authority in July. While recognising that no part of the site is designated for commercial development, the case officer still recommended approval due to its proximity to similar developments. In fact, the old building itself falls within the boundaries of a rural hamlet in Triq San Giljan, which is exclusively zoned for residential use. The rest of the site including the garden and several garages along the alley are located outside develop- ment zones. The case officer recommend- ing approval of the outline per- mit issued in July justified ap- proval because of its location "within the commercial/indus- trial fringe", where a transi- tional building can be consid- ered. The approved outline permit foresees three levels of base- ment parking for 77 cars and four floors of offices, two of which will be receded. The proposal retains the el- egant façade of the building along with its front garden overlooking Triq San Giljan. The Environment and Re- sources Authority had original- ly expressed concern that the development protrudes in the ODZ and will result in the loss of a number of mature trees, which are present on site. But subsequently ERA approved the uprooting and transplant- ing of the existing trees and expressed no objection to the proposed development. The Superintendence for Cultur- al Heritage also approved the treatment of the old building. In 2007, the Planning Author- ity approved an outline appli- cation for the demolition of the building, retaining the existing front for the construction of a building "not exceeding the height of existing front eleva- tion". This was done against the recommended refusal of the case officer. But a full plan- ning application was never pre- sented, and the development was not carried out. A similar application for a clinic and showroom and two-storey residence, was also withdrawn after a case officer's refusal in 2018. On that occa- sion the case officer objected to the scale of the proposed development, finding it to be "over-development". While noting the retention of the original façade, the Superin- tendence for Cultural Heritage had also objected to demoli- tion and "the obliteration" of the garden and the removal "of distinctive architectural ele- ments". The Environment and Resources Authority had also warned that the 2018 develop- ment would set an "undesira- ble precedent for similar future development which would lead to loss of such green spaces within ODZ". The new office block could pave the way for the transfor- mation of the presently open gap between Birkirkara and the San Gwann industrial estate. In fact, another pending ap- plication foresees the develop- ment of a supermarket on the other side of the Sqaq it-Tigieg on farmland which is entirely ODZ. Four-storey office block set to rise on Birkirkara Bypass townhouse