Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1526771
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 18 SEPTEMBER 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt The Vicm Support Agency is looking for warranted professionals to join our dynamic team as: Case Officer II (Emo onal Support) Jobsplus Permit No. 593/2024 Job Descripon, together with the eligibility and qualicaon requirements can be downloaded from h ps://vic msupportagency.com/vacancies/ Interested applicants should send a leer of applicaon together with a recent Police Cercate of Conduct, detailed Europass CV, and copies of academic qualicaons to the VSA CEO on vsahr@gov.mt by not later than Friday, 20th September 2024 Late submissions will not be considered. GĦARGĦUR'S Għaqda tan- Nar San Bartilmew is among the more than 500 objectors to a proposed elderly care home on land outside the development zone in Birguma. The application for the 70-room facility involves de- veloping over 9,300sq.m of farmland in an area designated as a Strategic Open Gap be- tween Naxxar and Gharghur. Urban development is general- ly prohibited in such zones. The proposed development, located along Triq Wied Ang- lu at the corner of Triq il-Vitt- mi tan-Nar, includes plans for an underground car park with space for 104 vehicles. Approx- imately 3,600 square meters of the site would be built up, while the remaining area would be landscaped. The fireworks society has ex- pressed concerns that if the de- velopment is approved, it will prevent fireworks from being set off in the area traditional- ly used for this purpose. They also highlighted the loss of ag- ricultural land because of the project. The proposed elderly care home is less than 100 me- tres from the site where the Għargħur feast's fireworks are launched. The Għargħur local council has also objected to the application, citing both envi- ronmental concerns and the threat to the local feast. The council reminded authorities that the Maltese festa is offi- cially recognised as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. At its most recent meeting, the council decided to launch a petition against the proposed development. Other objectors warned that the proximity of an elderly care home to a fire- works staging area presents clear safety risks and opera- tional conflicts. "The fireworks tradition is deeply rooted in local culture, and any disruption to these ac- tivities could lead to tensions within the community. Plac- ing a sensitive facility like an elderly care home near such an active site is inappropriate and may result in future re- strictions on the fireworks dis- plays," some objectors noted. Others pointed out that the area is already well-served by elderly care facilities. "There are two care homes in Naxxar and another one cur- rently under construction just a few hundred meters from the proposed site. This overcon- centration of elderly care facil- ities in the immediate area rais- es serious questions about the necessity of an additional one," said a resident. Concerns were also raised about increased traffic from visitors to the care home, with some noting that the rural roads in the area are not de- signed to accommodate the additional traffic that such a development would bring. Gharghur's fireworks enthusiasts object to ODZ elderly home Over 500 objections filed in one week