Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/271600
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 5 MARCH 2014 7 News Increased visibility for Riviera Hotel JAMES DEBONO THE increase in the mass and height of the existing Riviera Ho- tel in Marfa through the addition of an additional fifth f loor and an increase in its footprint will make the hotel more visible, both from land and from sea. This emerges from a Project De- velopment Statement presented to the Malta Environment and Plan- ning Authority last week following a planning application by the ho- tel's new owners. The hotel was illegally extended in the '90s by construction mag- nate Charles Polidano before it was sanctioned by MEPA in 2002. With the latest application, the hotel's footprint will increase by a further 361m2 – from 5,471m2 to 5,832m2. The additional footprint will be taken up by the extended restau- rant and the relocation of the ho- tel's reception, un/loading bay and car park ramp. The number of rooms will in- crease from the current 242 to 293, mainly as a result of the increased footprint (as rooms will be con- structed above the extended res- taurant) and the construction of an additional f loor. A 678m2 splash pool area will also be constructed on top of the new level, a 1.2m deep splash pool will be provided. The pool area will be surrounded by wood deck- ing and will comprise showers, a pool bar, toilets, sun beds and landscaping. Part of the road fronting the ho- tel will be transformed into a pe- destrian zone. Pavements on both sides of the road will be widened and land- scaped, whereas the road surface will be changed to hardstone pav- ing. Bollards will be installed at both ends of the pedestrian zone to block vehicular access. The embel- lished pedestrian zone will allow for the placing of outdoor seating, thereby extending the restaurant eating area outdoors. A mini- roundabout will be introduced close to the new car park entrance in order to improve turning move- ments in or out of the car park. The hotel was sold by construc- tion magnate Charles Polidano to FTI, a company owned by Ger- man company Frosch Touristik, in 2011. The Riviera – formerly known as the Solemar – was the centre of a planning controversy in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. Polidano first applied for an ex- tension of the pre-existing Sole- mar hotel – erected in the 1950s – in 1997, but despite a negative recommendation by the Planning Directorate, the extension was ap- proved. In 1998, Polidano applied for another extension, but the application was refused in 2000. Despite the refusal, the expansion was still carried out illegally. In 2001, MEPA was asked to sanction the extension retroactively. The case caused wide embar- rassment within MEPA itself, creating a strong rift between the board and its planning experts. While the Planning Directorate had urged a refusal, arguing that the development was incompatible with the rural and coastal charac- teristics of the area and also ran counter to the Structure Plan, the MEPA board proceeded to legalise the development after imposing a Lm200,000 (€460,000) fine on Polidano. TMFA 002/2014 SERVICE TENDER FOR ARCHITECTURAL AND PROJECT MANAGMENT SERVICES FOR PROJECTS OVERSEAS (LIBYA—BENGHAZI & MISURATA) TMFA 005/2014 SERVICE TENDER FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES (ELECTRICAL AND/OR MECHANICAL) FOR PROJECTS OVERSEAS (LIBYA—BENGHAZI & MISURATA) 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 Existing and proposed view of hotel 1960s postcard showing the hotel Man on the run jailed for nine months A man who was wanted for breach- ing bail conditions and arrested on 2 March in Kennedy Grove, limits of Bugibba, was jailed for nine months after admitting to breaking bail con- ditions three times, failing to obey police orders, violating property, relapsing and breaking a probation order. Jeffrey Cassar, 29, of Mosta, was also ordered to pay €21,000 as bail was re- voked after admitting to breaching it in front of Magistrate Francesco Depasquale. If he fails to pay the said sum, he will face another18-months in prison. He also admitted to trying to escape police by entering a neigh- bour's apartment in St. Paul's Bay. Cassar has been on the run for the last three months and is also facing charges of theft in different cases. Cassar was first spotted by police pa- trols in Bugibba but fled in a taxi. Upon realising that police officials were following him, Cassar dived into the water in Kennedy Grove and swam across the sea in Salina. Police then captured him after discovering the man hiding in a hole. Cassar is facing charges of vehicle theft in separate court procedures. The 27-year-old was put on the wanted list after he breached bail conditions. Cassar had to sign at a police station on a daily basis, but he only complied with this condition for a week. Lawyers Veronique Dalli and Dean Hili defended Cassar while Senior In- spector Josric Mifsud and Inspector Joseph Busuttil led the prosecution.