Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1533530
LAURA CALLEJA lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL FRIDAY 21 MARCH 2025 • ISSUE 038 • PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY gozotoday €1.00 AFTER a five year struggle by Din l-Art Ħel- wa and other eNGOS to save Marsalforn Valley the road widening project will still go ahead with significant improvements on the original plans. From the previous 183 trees to be uprooted only 13 mature trees will be lost as a result of works on the Marsalforn Road, with 202 ma- ture trees to be left untouched and 86 trees to be transplanted back on the site out of a total of 314 mature trees and shrubs. PAGE 4 Marsalforn road project new plans will see 200 trees saved Bipartisan plea to improve Gozo connectivity and infrastructure GOZO requires a comprehensive, gen- uinely bipartisan plan that effectively addresses the concerns and needs of the people of Gozo, stakeholders empha- sised during a National Conference this past weekend. Organised by Nationalist MEP Peter Agius at the Kempinski Hotel, stake- holders raised a number of issues which they felt needed to be addressed. These included the need to strengthen connec- tivity between Malta and Gozo, those working and studying. "Access to healthcare is a fundamental right that should be granted to everyone. While healthcare in Gozo is improving, there are still many areas in Malta that require attention, and the people have a right to better services. This is an issue that requires urgent discussion; we need both short-term and long-term plans to address it," a stakeholder said. PAGE 3 Stakeholders at a National Conference in Gozo, organised by MEP Peter Agius, highlighted the urgent need for a bipartisan plan to address key issues such as improving connectivity, modernising infrastructure, and securing sustainable transport solutions for the island's future economic and social growth WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 WEDNESDAY • 22 JANUARY 2025 • ISSUE 924 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Variable interest rate of 2.80% * Low contribution Low collateral requirements *Business Lending Bank Base Rate presently at 2.15%, Interest Margin and EIF Guarantee Fee. The BOV SME Grow and the BOV SME Grow Green are funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund with the financial backing of the Republic of Malta under the InvestEU Member State Compartment for Malta. All loans are subject to normal bank lending criteria and final approval from the Bank. Issued by Bank of Valletta p.l.c., 58, Triq San Żakkarija, il-Belt Valletta, VLT 1130. Bank of Valletta p.l.c. is a public limited company regulated by the MFSA and is licenced to carry out the business of banking in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the laws of Malta). Grow green BOV SME Supporting Your Vision CONTACT US JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Staircase, ramp and bathing platform in latest Vecca plans Veċċa project aimed at protecting cave and overlying road from collapse PAGE 5 Court rules that law allowing conversion of court expenses into jail, breaches human rights THE Constitutional Court has ruled that a legal provision giving the Court Reg- istrar unfettered discretion to convert court expenses into jail term breaches human rights. The landmark judgment was deliv- ered by Mr Justice Ian Spiteri Bailey in a case instituted by a prison inmate, who is serving a four-year jail term. Fernando Gonzalo-Noel Sanchez had filed proceedings in front of the First Hall of the Civil Court in its con- stitutional jurisdiction in 2023, chal- lenging the legal provision that allows unpaid court expenses to be translated into jail time. Sanchez had been sentenced to four years in prison in October 2022 after admitting to injuring several people and resisting arrest when under the influence of drugs. He had also been ordered to pay court expenses, which totalled €23,000 according to a bill drawn up by the Court Registrar. PAGE 5 A bathing platform, a staircase, and a ramp have been added to plans for the shoring up of the cliff-face at Għar Tal-Veċċa in St Paul's Bay. The project includes a revetment composed of boulders to protect the friable cliff-face from further coastal erosion and prevent the col- lapse of Triq Stella Maris. The MV Nikolaos is a major point of contention when discussing Gozo's connectivity issues