Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/296073
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 16 APRIL 2014 News 4 FUEL stations which are not "ide- ally located" by virtue of urban in- compatibility, amenity and traffic safety may be relocated to a more "desirable" location. Although the proposed MEPA policy will not forcibly relocate existing fuel serv- ice stations, the policy sets to pro- vide additional guidance on their relocation. The proposed policy, launched for public consultation by MEPA chairman Vince Cassar and par- liamentary secretary for planning Michael Falzon, also pushes for- ward proposals for new fuel sta- tions or upgrading of existing fuel stations. The policy addresses matters such as suitability of alternative sites, the proximity of the new site to the Development Zone and to the road network, proximity to other fuel stations and other planning and environmental considerations. The policy proposes that fuel sta- tions should preferably be located in Designated Industrial Areas, SME sites, Areas of Containment, Open Storage Areas, sites already occupied by fuel stations or other areas earmarked for development which are not designated as Resi- dential and Residential Priority Areas. While the same location crite- ria would apply in the case of Re- located Fuel Stations, the policy also indicates that in such cases land outside areas designated for development committed for non- agricultural uses or disused quar- ries may also be considered. For fuel station relocation pur- poses, in those cases where ben- efit to the community is deemed to be paramount, other sites may be considered. A list of environ- mentally sensitive areas, stipulated constraints as well as designated Residential Areas or Residential Priority Areas should be avoided in all cases for location purposes. Additionally, fuel stations will not be permitted within 300m from boreholes, should generally be located more than 500m from nearest fuel station and be obliged to decommission the redundant fuel station prior to operating on a new site in the case of a Relocated Fuel Station. The policy also introduces a number of design and planning standards for safer vehicular ac- cess and circulation within the fuel station. Additional safeguards are in- cluded to respect the surrounding context, to discourage unneces- sary future sprawl, to sensitively introduce infrastructure and to introduce safeguards that render the operation safer and more envi- ronmentally friendly. To address the potential abuse from existing fuel stations located in ODZ making requests to par- tially or fully change the use of a fuel station to a non-fuel related use, the policy makes its clear that such requests will not be consid- ered. The Environment Protection Directorate, the Civil Protection Department, Transport Malta and the Malta Resources Authority are deemed to be mandatory consult- ees during the processing of any fuel station planning application. Last September, the Authority had published the proposed objec- tives which were to guide the for- mulation of this proposed policy framework. The Authority is also publishing the submissions it had received from the public and other stakeholders, related to the pro- posed policy objectives and the Authority's reaction to them. The draft policy can be viewed on the Authority's website www. mepa.org.mt/public-consultation. Submissions should reach the Au- thority by 6 June 2014. 'No market intelligence sourced by WasteServ' CALL FOR QUOTATIONS FOR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES TO CONDUCT VDU SCREENING TESTS & OPHTHALMOLOGIST EXAMINATIONS TO MEPA EMPLOYEES (Ref: QT06/2014) e Malta Environment & Planning Authority (MEPA) is responsible for land use planning and environmental regulation in Malta. e overall objective of this call for quotations is to identify bidders interested in providing services to conduct VDU screening tests and ophthalmologist examinations to MEPA employees. e call for quotations document can be downloaded from the MEPA website on the following link: http://www.mepa.org.mt/info-quotes. e presentation of the quotations should satisfy the conditions mentioned in Section 4 – Quotations Format (Page 2 of the Call for Quotations Document) and deposited in the quotations box at the MEPA premises in Floriana by Wednesday, 30 th April 2014 before 10.00a.m. Any requests for clarications concerning this call for quotations should be addressed to the Director of Corporate Services on email tenders@mepa.org.mt by not later than Monday, 21st April 2014 before 4.00p.m. MEPA reserves the right to refuse part, or whole / any or all of the quotations submitted, including the most advantageous. Late submissions will not be considered. PAGE 1 The audit report was pre- sented yesterday in parliament. The main objective of this audit was to determine whether Waste- Serv's procurement practices were compliant with and adhered to pertinent public procurement reg- ulations. In view of the numerous con- tracts awarded during the period under review (2006-2012), NAO adopted a case study approach. The contracted value correspond- ing to the five case studies selected was that of €34.32 million. In addi- tion to the five case studies, NAO reviewed the appeals lodged by third parties in relation to WSM contracts with the Public Con- tracts Review Board (PCRB) dur- ing the period 2011-2012. NAO considered that the sub- stantial differences between WSM estimates and contracted amounts, ranging from 42 per cent over- estimation to 15 per cent under- estimation, was attributable to two possible factors. "First, such discrepancies may have been indicative of poor es- timate compilation, with insuf- ficient attention directed towards the sourcing of essential market intelligence. Second, discrepan- cies of this magnitude may also have resulted from vast changes to project scope and/or design," the NAO said. Out of the 15 appeals lodged against WSM during the period 2011-2012, 10 of these objections were upheld by PCRB. "In NAO's opinion, this situa- tion left much to be desired, par- ticularly so when one considered the process of review that such procurement is subjected to. It transpired that PCRB overturned the award decisions for a variety of reasons. "Most notable were instances where the contract was awarded to a non-compliant bidder, the award of a contact despite ambigu- ity in tender instructions, a lack of adherence to the stipulated evalu- ation criteria, and a case where an appellant had to lodge three appeals with respect to the same contract." New MEPA policy seeks relocation of fuel service stations Greens call for introduction of more rights for persons with disability VOTING rights of persons with dis- ability has long been one of the is- sues on The Green Party's agenda, spokesperson Clare Azzopardi Lane said. The Alternattiva Demokratika spokesperson on disability issues ad- dressed a seminar organised by the Malta Federation of Organisations for Persons with Disability. She stressed that AD has long been campaigning "for an array of rights of persons with disability that are still not fully established in this country." Azzopardi Lane said that the Greens had long supported the in- troduction of Braille and audio tem- plate voting system for visually im- paired and blind voters as well as the trusted friend system which have not yet been introduced. AD has also been supporting the right to universal access, including the right of visually impaired and blind people who are supported by guide dogs to pursue their mobil- ity and independence in all environ- ments, Azzopardi Lane said. "Employment and education for persons with disability are also high on AD's agenda," Azzopardi Lane said, add- ing that the recently published PSD guidelines, gave little importance to the delivery of such an important subject to students with disability. AD spokesperson for education, Mario Mallia, also addressed the seminar and reiterated the Greens' opposition to the introduction of banding in the education system, be- cause the party believes "it will not be a positive experience especially for the most vulnerable of students." He also called for further measures that need to be put in place for vo- cational training and employment of persons with disability in different work sectors. YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt Ghanian migrants deported THE home affairs ministry yesterday said that 10 failed asylum seekers were repatri- ated to Ghana. "We have been given reas- surances that the repatriated persons' rights will be upheld and be treated with dignit y according to human rights," the statement said. The repatriation, the minis- try said, followed diplomatic talks and the "application of the EU repatriation pro- gramme for failed asylum seekers." The migrants f lew out to Accra on a f light organized by the immigration police. The f light reached its destination this morning. Ghanaian authorities pro- vided the necessary docu- ments after representatives of the Western African stationed in Libya nation visited Malta. The ministry noted that the f light was part funded by the EU. Earlier this month, the gov- ernment reached an agree- ment with Nigeria to repatri- ate up to 155 failed asylum seekers.