Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1528241
2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 OCTOBER 2024 2 JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt TWO young men, Peter Ding- li and Ryan Paul De Thier, were remanded in custody after they were charged with threatening a 77-year-old man with a knife. The Court was told how on 13 October 2024 the police received reports on an elderly person being robbed at knife-point. On 20 October 2024, whilst the police were collecting the CCTV footage which recorded the alter- cation, they coincidentally saw the two individuals on the street, both of which they arrested. The accused were identified as Peter Dingli, 21, who lives in Mtarfa, a chef, and Ryan Paul De Thier, 25, who lives in Pembroke, a games presenter. Both accused individually pled not guilty. The prosecution ob- jected on the basis that they do not have a fixed address, live in a hostel, and have unaddressed drug addictions. The defence counter -argued that De Thier could po- tentially reside with his girlfriend, who has a Maltese address. The prosecution further said that both of the accused individu- als had not known each other for more than two weeks, and Dingli was kicked out of the house where he resided with his parents. They said the address of De Thier's girl- friend was a residence owned by her parents. The Court, presided by Magis- trate Nadine Sant Lia, declined the defence's request for bail observ- ing that if bail were to be granted it would be difficult to serve notice of court hearings. The prosecution was led by In- spector Steph Stafrace, and law- yer Juliana Magri Conti. Lawyer Martina Herrera and Julia Mi- callef Stafrace headed the defence counsel. Two men who threatened 77-year- old with knife denied bail Ryan Paul De Thier. Photo: James Bianchi/Mediatoday A case officer is recommending approval of a planning permit to restore the Rialto Theatre in Bormla and transforming an ad- jacent building into a hotel. The case officer concludes that the proposed interven- tions on the Rialto building aim to rehabilitate it for active use, aligning with the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Devel- opment. The project will see the Rial- to being used as a theatre with a new rooftop venue that will host events for up to 300 guests. An adjacent townhouse will be turned into a hotel. But despite recommending the issuance of a permit, the case officer report also con- cludes the project will result in a "shortfall" of 35 parking spac- es. Since it is technically impossi- ble to provide parking on-site, a contribution to the Urban Im- provement Fund for the short- fall, amounting to €281,000, is being recommended. The funds from this contribution will be used for traffic management, green transport, urban im- provements, or similar projects in the area. The rooftop venue, approxi- mately 300sq.m in size, is be- ing proposed as a public hall, exhibition space for displaying works of art, and a public as- sembly hall, which will also in- clude a restaurant. The venue will be created under a restored, larger steel-frame roof that re- places an existing one made of asbestos cement sheets. The parking requirement is calculated based on an estab- lished planning formula for similar establishments, which requires one parking space per 10sq.m. This means the roof- top venue alone will require 30 parking spaces. According to another formula, the 18-room hotel will require only five additional parking spaces. Since the other compo- nents of the project are already covered by a previous permit issued in 1997, their impact on parking and traffic is reflected in the existing situation. However, a study by the project's environmental con- sultants estimated that events catering to 300 guests at the rooftop venue would create a demand for 120 parking spac- es. Since such a level of parking would only be required occa- sionally, the traffic study advises event organisers to consider oth- er travel options, such as using cabs or shared transport, or ar- ranging an event-specific park- and-ride system from public car parks in the surrounding area. The case officer does not ad- dress this issue and refrains from imposing any conditions to min- imise parking pressures during events held at the rooftop venue. Regarding potential noise pol- lution from the project, which was one of the main concerns of objectors, the case officer's report cites a technical study indicating that noise from the premises will not exceed 45 dB (equivalent to moderate rainfall) due to the use of acoustic insu- lation. The Rialto is owned by the La- bour Party, which plans to lease it to a private company that sub- mitted plans to transform the building into an entertainment and cultural venue. Rialto Op- erations Ltd, the selected bid- der, is 90% owned by GP Borg Holdings, a ready-mix concrete supplier with hotel interests, and 10% owned by lawyer Charlon Gouder, CEO of Malta's tuna ranching lobby. The Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage had initially ob- jected to the removal of the old cinema projection room. How- ever, it was later satisfied with plans to retain the equipment lo- cated in the projection room and exhibit it in the reception area. The Rialto building, designed by architect Edwin England Sant Fournier and constructed in 1956, is renowned for its vertical arched openings and dark blue stained glass. A final decision on the pro- ject will be made by the Plan- ning Commission, the board responsible for small- and me- dium-scale projects, on 13 No- vember. Rialto project recommended for approval JORDAN PACE jpace@mediatoday.com.mt