Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/374383
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER 2014 News 4 JAMES DEBONO THE Labour-led Qrendi local coun- cil has unanimously voted against an application for the construction of a kiosk overlooking the picturesque Wied iz-Zurrieq. A letter of objection sent to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority by Qrendi mayor David Schembri states that the proposed development would obscure the sea view as seen from Triq il-Congreve overlooking the Belvedere, to the detriment of tourist visitors who visit the area. The council also expressed its fear that the application would encour- age further encroachment on public land. Architect and Nationalist MP An- thony Bezzina has also presented an objection on behalf of the owners of various commercial establishments in the area. In his letter Bezzina claims that the kiosk presents health and safety issues. This is because prospective clients of the new kiosk will have to queue and wait to be served on the road, which lacks a pavement, thus causing a health and safety hazard to pedes- trians and motorists alike. He also notes that since the road is a two-way carriageway a pavement cannot be constructed. He also warns that the kiosk will hinder the visibility for vehicles driv- ing out of the adjacent side road, which leads to a parking area, thus creating an accident black spot. Bezzina also warns that the kiosk will create a precedent for other es- tablishments to put out chairs and tables along the same road. The 18 square metre, three metre high kiosk is being proposed on va- cant public land in Congreve Road at the entrance of a belvedere which overlooks the picturesque sea views of Wied iz-Zurrieq. The kiosk will have terracotta col- oured cast iron roofing and a green cast iron frame and shutters. The ap- plication is still at its initial stages. The application proposed by Paul Farrugia was presented by architect Robert Musumeci. TRANSPORT Malta has vetoed a proposal by Mark Gaffarena to construct 33 warehouses in the Tal- Madonna Tad-Dawl area in Kirkop because according to government policy the area is to be retained for aviation-related development. Though unlikely, the project may still be approved. "This area should be safeguarded against incompatible proposals," Transport Malta's chief officer, David Sutton, wrote in an objection pre- sented to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority last week. In March the MEPA exempted Gaf- farena from having to conduct an en- vironment impact assessment on the development of the 33 warehouses on 2,887 square metres of ODZ land in Kirkop. MEPA justified the exemption be- cause a project development state- ment presented by the developers last month provided sufficient informa- tion on the impact of the project. The project is also deemed not to have any significant environmental effect. The exemption states, how- ever, that the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage should be asked to monitor any works on the site due to the possibility of archeological re- mains. A shrine known as Tad-Dawl is recorded to have existed within the footprint of the proposed develop- ment, but officials from the Superin- tendence for Cultural Heritage could not locate it during an inspection car- ried out recently. If approved the development will see the site transformed from an abandoned field into a series of ga- rages accommodating medium-sized businesses such as panel beating, car spraying, and printing and other ac- tivities. According to the project develop- ment statement submitted by the de- velopers, the concept of this develop- ment is primarily to encourage such businesses to go out of village centres dedicated to residential zones. The site is considered ideal for such businesses as it is located mid-way between the Valletta port areas and the international airport. Since the site lies within an aquifer protection zone and a water catch- ment area, a rainwater reservoir is be- ing proposed. The developer has also committed himself to seal the whole site with concrete flooring in order to prevent any accidental spillages reaching the aquifer. The proposed development is to in- clude a total of 33 industrial garages at basement and ground level. Ac- cording to the PDS, the development will "complement the surroundings, especially the airport's runway, which is considered to be close to the site". The 33 garages will be occupying a total space of around 5,500 square metres on two levels. In August 2004, MEPA refused an application presented by Gaffarena to build 13 warehouses in the same area. In 2006 MEPA also refused an ap- plication by Gaffarena to demol- ish and rebuild a number of dilapi- dated rooms on the same footprint. Subsequently Gaffarena applied to construct a batching plant but the Planning Directorate withdrew this application. The land in question, which lies on the ground water protection zone, was occupied by a farmer till 2012 and is classified as an agricultural zone in the local plan. A number of quarries and batching plants are present in the surround- ings. Part of the site lies within a listed buffer zone due to the discov- ery of Roman remains, consisting of a cistern, in the vicinity. In 2004 the development was deemed to be in breach of the Struc- ture Plan, which does not permit urban development outside existing and committed built-up areas. "It is apparent that there are no rea- sons from a planning point of view why the proposed development can- not be located in an area designated for industrial development", the case officer recommending a refusal of the development said. The proposal was also deemed to result in an unacceptable impact on the road network in the area. Mark Gaffarena is a shareholder in the 'J Gaff' petrol station in Qormi, which was recently given a three-year clearance to open again after it was sealed by MEPA in 2009. Proprietor Johann Gaffarena has recently ap- plied to sanction illegalities on the site and an additional 31 square me- tre food and beverage outlet and six new car washes on the same site. Gaffarena is a shareholder in In- ternational Tobacco (Malta) Limited together with the government rep- resentative on the MEPA board, Joe Sammut. The decision to grant this tempo- rary permit for the petrol station was not taken by the MEPA board, on which Sammut sits, but by a sub- sidiary board. But the Labour MP was unexpectedly cagey when Malta- Today tried to solicit a comment on his business relationship with Marco Gaffarena, describing it as a "a profes- sional secret". Qrendi council and PN MP object to Wied iz-Zurrieq kiosk Transport Malta vetoes Gaffarena warehouses plan SOCAR should be more accountable – UN body PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD THE State Oil Company of Azerbai- jan, which owns 20% of the shares in ElectroGas Malta – the company running the new gas fired power sta- tion at Delimara – has come under scrutiny of a United Nations human rights committee, which is calling for more accountability. The committee for business and human rights, operating under the UN Council for Human Rights, has called on the Azeri government to make the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) ac- countable to the country's Parlia- ment. SOCAR will be Malta's main sup- plier of natural gas for the next 18 years and has also teamed up with British Petroleum to link the coun- try's gas fields to Europe through a pipeline passing through Turkey and the Adriatic sea to link with Italy. Questions on its secretive business model have been raised by NGO Global Witness in a report which re- veals that private individuals could be benefiting from the company's opaque structures at the expense of the citizens of Azerbaijan. "To reinforce public trust that natural resources are being well managed and for the benefit of all, and avoid any perception that State- owned and controlled companies may be involved in any human rights abuses, we suggest that the corpo- rate governance structure of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) include greater account- ability and transparency to Parlia- ment," the UN working group said in a statement issued after a visit to Azerbaijan last week. "For example, deputies could have an authority to consider from time to time any commercial Produc- tion Sharing Agreement contracts requiring immediate implementa- tion", the mission says. In the past days Azerbaijan has come under increasing criticism for jailing political prisoners. Last month, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the growing tendency to prosecute prominent human rights defenders in Azerbaijan. "We are appalled by the increasing incidents of surveillance, interroga- tion, arrest, sentencing on the basis of trumped-up charges, assets-freez- ing and ban on travel of the activ- ists in Azerbaijan," they said. "The criminalisation of rights activists must stop. Those who were unjusti- fiably detained for defending rights should be immediately freed." If approved the development will see the site transformed into a series of garages for medium-sized businesses such as panel beating, car spraying, and printing and other activities The area earmarked for the development of a kiosk in Zurrieq