Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1515545
9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 7 FEBRUARY 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt THE Planning Authority is set to approve an "upgrade" of the existing Kwart ta' Mil drag racing strip in Hal Far. The decision will be taken before the PA considers another application for the construction of a new racetrack on adja- cent industrial land earmarked for this purpose by the government. The Kwart ta' Mil site occupies an area of 69,430sq.m and currently consists of a drag racing strip operated by the Malta Motorsport Federation. The current application envisages the reconstruction of the spectator stands with underlying changing rooms, stores, sanitary facilities and a 705sq.m retail shop. It also foresees the relocation and re- construction of the existing control tow- er and the construction of a four-storey block consisting of administration offic- es, two catering establishments, a multi- purpose hall and a VIP hospitality box. The project is aimed at upgrading the existing track to international safety standards. The retail shop and restaurants will be ancillary to the racing track and will only be accessible through the main entrance of the sporting facility and only opera- tional during the operating hours of the sport facility. The case officer is recommending ap- proval since the proposal conforms with local plan policies for the area which is already designated for sports and recre- ational activities. A final decision will be taken by the Planning Board on 22 Feb- ruary. The Environment and Resources Au- thority has already issued its go-ahead for the upgrading of the drag racing track and has concluded the proposal poses "no environmental concern". But ERA had called for further studies to assess the impact of a new racetrack adjacent to the drag racing facility to as- sess its impact on the neighbouring Nat- ura 2000 sites and colonies of Scopoli's and Yelkouan shearwater birds that in- habit the cliffs. The Natura 2000 sites are located 600m from the proposed racing track and even closer to the existing drag racing track. Birdlife had flagged the risk of a piece- meal approach to the area and had called for the different components of the project to be assessed in one single application with impacts assessed ho- listically. A masterplan published in 2022 was largely limited to the proposal to devel- op a completely new motor racing track in Ħal Far while referring to the existing karting track and the drag racing facil- ity, as the other two other components of the "national multi-purpose motor- sports hub". In September 2023 Duncan Micallef had told MaltaToday that the associa- tion is currently revising the masterplan after the government allocated a fur- ther 20,000sq.m of industrial land to the 82,900sq.m originally earmarked for the project. Micallef had attributed the changes to design and safety issues highlighted by the German experts Tilke GmbH & Co. KG, who were hired by the association to design the track. The applications are being proposed on brownfield sites and do not directly impact on the natural environment, but concerns have been expressed on noise and light pollution particularly during events. PA set to approve 'upgrade' of Kwart ta' Mil drag racing track Proposal limited to additional facilities on existing drag racing track and does not include the new race circuit being proposed on adjacent land allocated to Motosport Association by the government GOZITAN Thomas Bajada has sub- mitted his candidature to contest the European Parliament elections on the Labour ticket, MaltaToday is in- formed. Bajada, who is expected to be the only Gozitan candidate for Labour so far, will be the ninth candidate for next June's elections. Sources who spoke to this newspaper said he will be submitting the nomina- tion in the coming days. Thomas Bajada holds a Master of Arts in Ocean Governance and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biology and Chemistry. He is cur- rently pursuing a Master of Laws in Public International Law at City, University of London. Bajada served as a technical at- taché in Malta's Permanent Rep- resentation in Brussels, represent- ing the country at the Council of the European Union. He actively engaged in negotiations concerning Maltese fishers, the aquaculture in- dustry and agriculture. Sources said Bajada was ap- proached "not only for his youth and EU expertise but also for his deep involvement in Gozo." He has served as the Vice Presi- dent and Secretary at Soċjetà Filar- monika Leone and Teatru tal-Opra Aurora for several years. Addition- ally, he held the position of Secre- tary-General at the Maltese Nation- al Youth Council. Gozitan Thomas Bajada submits Labour MEP candidature Thomas Bajada