Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/210069
10 News maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 2013 MEPA heritage committee says no to Sliema naval clinic development JAMES DEBONO THE Malta Environment and Planning Authority's internal heritage watchdog is objecting to a new eightstorey development incorporating Sliema's old naval clinic. The Heritage Advisory Committee, chaired by Albert Ganado has described the proposal "objectionable from the aesthetic point of view" as it does "not give due prominence to the existing façade of the naval clinic". The panel also referred to the need to protect an air-raid shelter and other cultural features in the area. The proposal, by Mark Gasan of the Gasan Group, incorporates Sliema's historical naval clinic into an eightstorey development. The latest planning application foresees the restoration of the existing façade, which is the only structure remaining from the clinic, and the sanctioning of the total, internal demolition of the building. It also foresees the construction of an apartment block with offices at ground and first floor, and commercial outlets at the lower level and extending below a new public garden located on external piazza. A restaurant is also being proposed on an elevated garden. The development will include two levels of underlying basement garages. Original plans submitted in 2006 had envisioned a 15-storey tower replacing the historical naval clinic's façade in Ghar il-Lembi square. But in the latest plans submitted in July the façade is retained and incorporated in the high-rise development. The naval clinic, a military hospi- The plans by the Gasan Group to incorporate the naval clinic's façade in the eight-storey development The façade of the old Sliema naval clinic, derelict and used as a car park today tal dating back to the 19th century, is a Grade 2 scheduled building, for which permits to demolish "will not normally be given" according to the Structure Plan. But MEPA rules allow alterations to the interior if they are carried out sensitively. In June 1996, a bizarre decision by the MEPA appeals board decreed that the façade should be dismantled in its entirety and actually re-erected somewhere else. But in 2003, MEPA refused an application to erect a basement car park on four levels as well as ground floor shops on the so-called 'pjazzetta', including the demolition of the naval clinic. MEPA said the total demolition was "unacceptable" and contrary to the structure plan. Despite MEPA's rejection, another application for the development of the naval clinic was submitted by Gasan in 2004, for the construction of an apartment block with commercial outlets and an underlying garage extending below the garden, designated for public use. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt 1,226 widows to start receiving full pension MIRIAM DALLI A new measure introduced in Budget 2014 will see some 1,226 widows benefitting from a full pension, thanks to the allocation of €2.2 million for this aim. According to the current system, a widower whose salary exceeds the minimum wage suffers a cut in the widow pension received. This occurs irrespectively of the fact that the widow's children would still be studying and aged under 21. The new budgetary measure will however ensure that the pension would remain the same, irrespective of the salary earned and the children's age. According to the Ministry for Social Solidarity, the measure is set to incentivise more people to join the workforce. "Through this measure, the government is ensuring that social justice is carried out whilst encouraging them to be productive and remain in the workforce. At the same time, we are ensuring that their income and their quality of living is improved," the ministry said. The current widower's pension varies according to how much the dead spouse would have paid in national insurance contribution. This varies from between €92 and €188 per week. Paying a full contribution would mean receiving a full pension. The rate by which widow pensions are currently cut therefore depends on the amount of national insurance paid. It also varies according to the amounts by which the living spouse's salary exceeds the minimum wage. Download the MaltaToday App now