Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/266770
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2014 News 5 A shopping village is being pro- posed on the site presently occu- pied by Francesco Fenech Ltd., a marble and tile-production com- pany. The site is located on the very outskirts of Mosta, adjacent to the town boundaries of Lija and Naxxar. The site has an area of approxi- mately 32,200m2. The project, proposed by Paul Gauci on behalf of Pama Shop- ping Village Ltd, promises to ad- dress the present vacuum of a lack of high-qualit y retail centre in the central part of Malta, thereby at- tracting shoppers from this part of the island. "Presently shoppers hailing from central and northern parts of Mal- ta carry out most of their shop- ping in retail centres situated in Valletta, Sliema and St. Julians," a Project Development Statement presented to MEPA states. According to the PDS, the aim of the project is to create a unique shopping experience by combin- ing diverse shopping attractions within the same site, helping to minimise the time and expense usually spent traveling between different places to shop, and also providing a high level of conven- ience through the provision of ex- tensive on-site parking facilities. The project envisages the exca- vation and construction of an un- derground car park for 335 park- ing spaces. The proposed car park will interconnect with the super- market, shopping complex and street level parking area in order to provide convenience to the end- user. Extensive parking facilities will also be provided at street level. Combining both the underground and street level parking provi- sion, the project promises 846 parking spaces. A small chapel at the southern boundary and a securit y guard 's room at the exit onto Pantar Road will also be con- structed. The project also envisages the change of use of the existing fac- tories to a 3000m2 supermarket and the construction of an exten- sion to house retail outlets, offic- es, gym and a staff canteen. It also envisages the change of use of the existing warehouse building to class 4 retail outlets. According to the PDS the re- tail area will house international well-known clothing and fashion brands. A Retail Impact Assessment is to be carried out to evaluate the pro- posed development's likely impact on the vitalit y and viabilit y of es- tablished town and centres. GENERAL PROGRAMME SOLIDARITY & MANAGEMENT OF MIGRATION FLOWS 2007-2013 Tender is part-financed from the European Union External Border Funds (EBF) Co-financing rate: 75% EU Funds: 25% National Funds Sustainable Management of Migration Flows Lowest number of dwellings approved in 2013 houses (209) was also the highest since 2010. Only 2,062 new apartments were approved in 2013, down from 2,489 in 2012. The highest number of apartments (10,252) was approved in 2007. Forty-seven percent of all new dwellings approved in 2013 are lo- cated on previously undeveloped land, while 53% are located on al- ready developed land. This con- trasts with the situation in 2000, when 70% of all dwellings were de- veloped on previously undeveloped land. The percentage of dwellings on virgin land reached an ebb of 40% in 2005, but rose again to 56% in 2008. This coincided with the extension of building boundaries carried out in 2006, which saw the inclusion of formerly ODZ land in development boundaries. Only 312 new dwellings approved in 2013 were the result of the con- version of existing dwellings. This was the lowest number since 2006. 1,120 dwellings approved in 2013 in- volved the demolition and rebuild- ing of existing buildings. While the number of converted dwellings declined by 3.6% over 2012, the number of dwelling resulting from redevelopment remained the same. The redevelopment of 252 old units approved in 2013 will result in 1,120 new dwellings – a net gain of 868. On the other hand, 307 old units will result in 312 new units. Shopping village proposed in Mosta UK government advised to auction off visas THE Migration Advisory Com- mittee has proposed an alterna- tive to the current system, which gives UK visas to migrants who invest £1 million or more. The Committee has recom- mended that the minimum in- vestment be doubled to £2 mil- lion and that a limited number of visas would be auctioned off with a reserve price of £2.5 million. Any surplus would be directed towards good causes, similar to the National Lottery scheme. The old system, argued the Commit- tee, did not benefit citizens in any significant way. The report's recommended changes would only apply to set- tlement rights and not to citizen- ship. Investors would still have to have lived in the country for a minimum of five years before they could apply for full citizenship. If the scheme were approved, it would be the first of its kind in the world and could see more tangible benefits for citizens. The decision rests with Home Secre- tary Theresa May. Tonio Fenech files libel suit against Charlon Gouder NATIONALIST MP Tonio Fenech has filed a libel suit against Labour MEP candidate Charlon Gouder for claims he made in an article dated 20 February of this year. The article, published in L- Orizzont, claimed that Fenech was informed about the energy theft scandal which was going on, but took no action. The scandal refers to the tam- pering of an estimated 1,000 smart meters by Enemalta em- ployees, resulting in a loss of close to €30 million for the local energy supplier. Tonio Fenech was the minister in charge of Enemalta up until last year. "The article was full of false and libelous allegations," a statement issued by the PN read. "Amongst other things, Char- lon Gouder claimed that Tonio Fenech knew about the tamper- ing of the smart meters and did not take action," it continued, and added that this was just one of many false allegations made by the Labour MEP candidate in the article.