Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537233
ABELA Ventures Ltd has submitted a new application to develop an old people's home on a site located outside the devel- opment zone (ODZ) along Triq Sant' Ant- nin in Marsaskala. The site lies behind a petrol station ap- proved in 2018 and directly opposite the family park. The proposed elderly home will include three levels of underground parking, two additional underground floors for ancil- lary facilities, and three overground levels of accommodation. The development will also feature landscaped areas and an out- door pool. Indoor amenities are set to in- clude a gym, an indoor pool, a spa, clinics, a multipurpose hall, and squash courts. In 2023, the same site was earmarked by the same owners for a commercial project comprising of a supermarket, retail out- lets, restaurants, and a hotel. That appli- cation has not been formally withdrawn but has remained suspended for several months. The commercial project had envisaged the excavation of three basement levels and a shopping mall, gym, fast-food outlet, and several restaurants above. A five-sto- rey hotel was also proposed alongside the shopping centre. The project had drawn over 50 objec- tions and criticism from the Superintend- ence of Cultural Heritage, which warned of an "unacceptable negative impact on the rural and cultural landscape and its legibility." The site currently includes an old dwell- ing, a garage, and a section previously used to store beach cleaning equipment. The latter use had been sanctioned by the En- vironment and Planning Review Tribunal in 2009 after an earlier refusal by the Plan- ning Authority. However, most of the site remains undeveloped and includes several trees and rubble walls. While the commercial development proposed in 2023 was difficult to justify under existing planning policies, the Stra- tegic Plan for the Environment and De- velopment (SPED) allows for old people's homes in ODZ areas. However, applicants are expected to fol- low a 'sequential approach', using ODZ land only as a last resort after exploring ex- isting built-up areas, brownfield sites, and vacant land within the development zone. The application is still at its initial stag- es and is still being vetted by the Planning Authority before being issued for public consultation. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt 2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 JULY 2025 NEWS Pharmacists expose risks posed by medicines MARY, an 80-year-old woman, has been receiving treatment for osteoporosis through the free government medicine scheme for some years. She was prescribed by her doctor a twice-daily dose of 500mg calcium pills, which she obtained from her local phar- macy through the Pharmacy Of Your Choice (POYC) scheme. A few months ago, POYC changed the brand of calcium medicine and started supplying tablets of 1g, which would mean that Mary only needed to take one pill a day instead of two. However, the new brand, Calcioral D3, only had a patient information leaflet in Greek, making it next to impossible for Mary to understand that the new brand came in a different dosage. Calcium overdose It was the local pharmacist who real- ised that the new medicine had a differ- ent dosage and informed Mary accord- ingly. "Had I not realised, she would have kept on taking two pills a day, over- shooting the recommended daily dose by a full 1g," the pharmacist, who asked to remain anonymous, told MaltaToday. Mary's story is symptomatic of a much wider problem within the POYC scheme. The pharmacist approached this newspaper after seeing last week's story about the medicine Mefeda, used to treat ADHD, that comes with no Eng- lish-language patient information leaf- let. "It's already a problem that the POYC frequently changes the brands of calci- um medicine, something that can con- fuse elderly people like Mary, but it is even more concerning that the products they supply do not come with patient information leaflets that are in English," the pharmacist said. To make matters worse, the same med- icine is sold in pharmacies with the Eng- lish-language leaflet as required by law. The loophole The law states that medicines are re- quired by law to have product informa- tion in either English or Maltese, and when this is not available, the agent is required to provide an additional leaflet Developers shift focus from mall to elderly home in Marsaskala KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Several free medicines provided through the POYC scheme have patient information leaf lets in languages other than English