Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/298224
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 APRIL 2014 4 News Sky's the limit for seven hotels under new policy JAMES DEBONO THE existing hotels that will be able to add an unlimited number of storeys under a newly-approved planning policy will be the Hilton, Westin, Corinthia San Gorg and Radisson hotels in St Julian's, and possibly the Intercontinental Hotel, as well as the San Antonio and Dol- men hotels in Qawra. The new policy allows all hotels inside development zones to add two new storeys over and above the height limitation permitted in their towns' local plans. But this height can breach the two-story limit if the hotel is on a site larger than 5,000 square metres, surrounded by existing or planned roads, or if the site accommodates standalone buildings. Another planning policy that will regulate high-rise development over 10 storeys, can only be allowed on sites of over 5,000 square metres surrounded by four roads. This means that standalone hotels will be privileged over other devel- opments as they do not have to fulfill both these criteria, and may qualify for an unlimited number of storeys. The new hotels policy may also benefit new hotels built in the de- velopment zone and outside urban conservation area confirming to any of the three criteria. High-rise devel- Oil exploration safety reports kept under wraps 'Government contractually bound not to publish hazard reports' – ministry JAMES DEBONO THE government is contractually bound by a confidentiality agree- ment with Phoenicia Energy and Melita Exploration not to pub- lish any documents related to the safety aspects of oil exploration in Maltese waters. This was the reason given by transport minister Joe Mizzi in a parliamentary question by Na- tionalist MP Anthony Bezzina asking the government to publish two studies, namely the 'Report of Major Hazards' and the 'Emer- gency Response Plans'. For the first time ever, gov- ernment has obliged oil drillers Mediterranean Oil and Gas Ltd (MOG) to conduct an environ- mental risk assessment, an oil spill contingency plan, and a report on major hazards before drilling an exploratory well 130km off the Maltese coast. Drilling for oil on the Ħagar Qim well to the south of Malta at a depth of 2,500m will be carried out by Phoenicia Energy and Melita Explo- ration. Phoenicia is a Genel subsidi- ary that holds 75% in the production sharing contract area, while Melita is the MOG subsidiary which holds the remaining 25% equity. But a request by MaltaToday for the publication of these safety and risj studies was turned down in Janu- ary. On that occasion a spokesperson for Mizzi confirmed that seismic and geological risks of the drilling op- eration were assessed in a report on major hazards prepared by Phoenicia Energy. Italian geologist Carlo Cassaniti has warned of the catastrophic dan- gers posed by offshore drilling in the seabed around Malta in the absence of studies assessing the "volcanic and seismic" instability of the seabed in the Sicilian Channel. Tony Hayward