Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517531
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MARCH 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt MATTHEW VELLA mvella@mediatoday.com.mt THE Planning Authority is set to approve in principle the con- struction of a massive shopping mall in Għaxaq set to include 17,500sq.m of retail shops over three levels. The mall will replace the Schembri Barbros batching plant along Triq Tal-Barrani. The site measuring 35,767sq.m, consists of the batching plant, the existing Lidl supermarket, its parking areas at the back and on the side, and several ex- isting retail outlets on the ser- vice road. But final approval will be con- ditional on clearance by Trans- port Malta and Infrastructure Malta for a new roundabout junction in front of the shop- ping complex, for which the developers have to pay in full. The roundabout is being pro- posed instead of a traffic-light junction on the Tal-Barrani road at the intersection be- tween Żejtun and the Schembri Barbros plant. Tal-Barrani is a four-lane arterial road, heav- ily used by vehicular traffic coming from and going to the southernmost villages of Malta. The case officer pointed out that since the current propos- al is an 'outline development application', only the princi- ple of the development will be approved, while the major as- sessment related to the crea- tion of the new traffic junction, will be carried out in the full development application. The Planning Board will take its de- cision on the outline permit on 21 March. For this aim, the case of- ficer has proposed a condition obliging the developer to in- clude the detailed design of the roundabout junction in plans to be presented in a full development application to be presented after the issue of the outline permit. The proposed condition states that the "strategic roundabout junction at the site access shall be upgraded and completed prior to the commencement of works on the commercial hub development and the expenses to the highway upgrading are to be fully borne by the devel- oper." The PA's development man- agement directorate, which is recommending the approval of the project, said that it agrees with measures proposed by Transport Malta to improve road safety and access to Triq il-Barrani and the proposed commercial hub, including the upgrading of the transport junction. The report also hints that the works may require "road-wid- ening at specific parts along the highway" with any issues resulting from this being ad- dressed during the processing of the full planning application. According to the latest plans the retail and leisure com- plex will be built over three floors (10.5m) on a footprint of 14,220sq.m. Two levels of underground parking are set to accommodate 1,014 parking spaces. Apart from shops, the shopping hub will include a 2,500sq.m underground gym- nasium and a 700sq.m child- care centre. The upper floor will include 7,000sq.m of food and beverage outlets. The pro- ject envisages a total floor ar- ea of 18,700sq.m dedicated to retail. The existing Lidl super- market will be retained and en- larged. The Commercial Hub build- ing will be set-back by approxi- mately 54 metres from the road alignment. The main building will be on two floors and a re- ceded third floor, with an over- all height of 10.50 metres PA set to approve Ghaxaq shopping mall 'in principle' Mater Dei to outsource bariatric surgeries Case officer recommends mall's approval 'in principle' but includes condition obliging developers to present plans for new roundabout junction which they will fully finance Photomontage of 'massing' of proposed shopping complex. The design of the project will be approved at a later stage along with the proposed roundabout junction which is also not shown in photomontages. THE national health service is to start outsourcing bariatric surgery services at Mater Dei Hospital. Sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypasses will be conducted at the general hospital by service providers, together with staff, pre-operative assessments, post-operative inpatient stay and post-op assessments. Most patients who have bar- iatric surgery generally report an improvement or cure of obesity-related conditions, in- cluding high blood pressure, diabetes sleep apnoea, asthma, arthritis, and cholesterol levels. Bariatric surgery results in durable and significant weight loss and improvements in co- morbid conditions, including type-2 diabetes, and is associ- ated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular events, cancer, and death. Bariatric procedures involve making changes to a digestive system to help in weight loss, usually when diet and exercise have not worked or when seri- ous health problems arise be- cause of being overweight. The service so far has been offered by private hospitals. In 2021, Saint James Hospital car- ried out the first endoluminal bariatric intervention in Malta. Endoluminal bariatric surgery actually reduces the volume of the stomach, which results in a reduced intake of food. This procedure enables an individu- al to lose half of his or her extra weight within a period of 12 months. The innovative surgery dif- fers from traditional surgical treatments, because it is a short procedure which is minimally invasive and does not require any open surgery. The World Health Organ- ization (WHO) consistently ranks Malta's health care ser- vice amongst the top nations worldwide. Mater Dei Hospi- tal is the main acute, tertiary referral centre, with 900 beds and 20 main operating thea- tres, apart from other satellite operating theatres, labs, and various intensive care units. Mater Dei will make available a fully functional theatre facili- ty and a recovery area for bari- atric surgeries to be conducted from 4pm to 9pm on weekdays, and form 2pm onwards on Sat- urday. Pre-op services will be pro- vided at other licensed facili- ties. Sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypasses will be conducted at the general hospital by service providers