Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532744
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 26 FEBRUARY 2025 ANALYSIS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt ERA 'not averse' to old people's home in Naxxar ODZ Quarry German election: With the CDU's Friedrich Merz at the helm and the far right Alternative for Germany in second place, Germany has lurched to the right. Will a grand coalition with the SPD contain the far right, or will it open the gates of power next time round? JAMES DEBONO reports. THE parliamentary arithmetic in Germany leaves no choice: It's either a grand coalition be- tween the two traditional cen- trist and pro-European parties – CDU/CSU and the SPD – or a right-wing coalition between the CDU and the far right AfD. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the CDU, has firmly exclud- ed the latter coalition option. This suggests that despite flirting with the AfD during the election by passing a sym- bolic migration plan in parlia- ment with their support, Merz still believes he has more in common with the SPD. After being bombastical- ly congratulated by Trump, Merz reacted by vowing for European independence from the US, just one day before the so-called leader of the free Friedrich Merz, a Conservative, Is Poised to Be Germany's Next Chancellor THE Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has signalled it is "not averse" to the development of a residential care home within an existing quarry in Naxxar. The proposed project, which also includes external landscaped parks and pjazzas, is outside the development zone between La- bour Avenue and the Higher Sec- ondary complex. However, ERA warned that res- taurants and retail outlets pro- posed for the site "might be in conflict" with the residential care home. The ODZ site is currently used for quarrying operations, includ- ing crushing and stockpiling of material, and also houses a cold asphalt batching plant, a concrete batching plant, hollow concrete brick plants, garages, and offices. ERA insisted that the pro- posed project must respect the surrounding landscape and to- pography. It also requested that the developer submit a Project Description Statement (PDS) to determine which environmental studies will be required. The proposed development, by Carmel Vella Limited, includes extensive warehousing facilities below ground level, retail and res- taurant spaces with outdoor seat- ing, a five-storey residential care home and clinic, as well as a car park with 625 bays and external landscaped parks and pjazzas. The Naxxar Local Council has raised concerns about the project, particularly due to its location within a designated Strategic Open Gap. While acknowledging that the site is already developed, the coun- cil warned that approving such a large-scale project could set a prec- edent for further development on adjacent lands. The council also highlighted the need for a compre- hensive transport impact assess- ment, given the site's proximity to the Higher Secondary school com- plex, and raised concerns about the strain the development could place on service infrastructure networks. BirdLife objects BirdLife Malta has also object- ed to the project, arguing that the designation of the site as a Stra- tegic Open Gap precludes urban sprawl and commercial develop- ment. The local plan limits devel- opment in Strategic Open Gaps to afforestation, agricultural devel- opments, and country paths. According to BirdLife, the ex- isting development should not be used as an excuse for "further ur- ban expansion." The organisation noted that other quarries have been restored to nature through afforestation and called for the site to be rehabilitated and used as a public green space. So far, more than 160 objections have been filed objecting to the development. This proposal is part of a broad- er trend of redeveloping private- ly owned quarries and batching plants located outside the devel- opment zone. Similar projects include a shopping mall approved behind the Lidl supermarket in Għaxaq, as well as plans for a shopping mall and supermarket in a quarry along Wied is-Sewda, in a rural area of Ħaż-Żebbuġ. In the past, several quarries have been restored for agricultural use, while others have been converted into solar farms. The site is located off Labour Avenue in Naxxar, opposite the educational complex that houses the Higher Secondary school