Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/478858
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 15 MARCH 2015 6 News JAMES DEBONO CONTRARY to the advice of its own case officer, the Malta Environ- ment and Planning Authority has approved the internal demolition of a two-storey Sliema townhouse to make way for the construction of a maisonette at ground floor and three apartments, one on each floor, served with a lift. The existing façade in Arturo Mer- cieca Street will be retained but two more storeys will be added on top of it. In 2006 MEPA had twice refused a similar application because it objected to the internal demolition of the build- ing, which includes a traditional stair- case which will now be destroyed. The house is built according to the traditional classical style typical of early 20th century developments. The application was approved after the developers accepted to remove a penthouse level from the plans which was in breach of the local plan. But despite this concession the de- velopment was still deemed by the Planning Directorate to be in breach of the structure plan. According to the case officer the proposed building will be in breach of structure plan policies calling for the preservation of townscapes within urban conservation areas. Moreover, according to the case officer report, an existing staircase should have been re- tained in the development, not obilit- erated. A fireplace will be retained and in- corporated in the building. The local plan approved in the area permits proposals for three-storey buildings and a penthouse in this street, which consists mainly of two- storey townhouses. The development will create a short- fall of four parking spaces which will be compensated for by a monetary payment of €2,096. The board justified overturning the negative recommendation by refer- ring to guidelines which allow the board flexibility in assessing the dem- olition of buildings in Urban Conser- vation Areas. JAMES DEBONO HARBOUR Investments Limited, a company owned by Hili Invest- ments, is seeking a permit for the development of 32 warehouses and offices in the Tal-Harrub and l-In- wadar area in Kalafrana, next to the Freeport. The site is an agricultural area of 54,000 square metres, the size of eight football grounds, outside the development zone, which be- longs entirely to the developer. The project will not result in any loss of trees but will see the demolition of rubble walls and the creation of new roads around the warehouses. A total of 32 warehouses, each of them rising 12 metres high, is being proposed. The Mariner Group, owned by the Hili group, is planning to set up a multi-million euro international freight distribution and warehous- ing hub on a 70,000 square metre site in Benghajsa. Mariner Group owns 36,000 square metres of warehousing space at the Riga Freeport in Latvia. Hili said back in August 2015 that his company wants to attract large in- ternational companies who want to use Malta as their international dis- tribution gateway into Europe and North Africa. Agatha Barbara's former villa flagged for illegalities JAMES DEBONO THE excavation of a clay slope to build a retaining wall around a se- cluded villa in Gozo, set on Gham- mar Hill opposite Ta' Pinu church, "had a destabilising effect on the clay of the area" a Malta Environ- ment and Planning Authority case officer report warned. Villa Barbara, once the abode of the late President Agatha Barbara, was surrounded by a boundary wall which the villa's present owners want regularised to "resist the lat- eral pressure from the clay slope" on the villa. The works were carried out in 2008, six years after Agatha Barbara passed away. But while the owners claim that they want to reinstate the area with soil as it was in the past, the case officer report describes the works carried out in 2008 as "an expan- sion of the villa's back garden". A decision on whether to regu- larise the works is expected on 17 March. The report, just released, also claims that the removal of clay had a major impact on the site's geolog- ical features. Moreover the report also casts doubts on the legality of the villa itself. The report refers to the issue of permits issued for a farmhouse and a dwelling in the early 1980s. But according to the case officer, aerial photos show that the present villa was built in 1988 and "no permit can be traced" for this develop- ment. "Should no permits be traced, the villa would be allegedly illegal and the site would have to be reinstat- ed to its original state," the report says. The report calls on MEPA to re- ject the application to regularise the retaining wall and calls for clarifica- tions on the legality of the villa. The case dates back to 2008 when residents from Ghasri contacted MaltaToday to report trucks and tractors levelling the countryside surrounding the villa. Works were even being con- ducted on Sunday mornings, to the extent that Ghasri residents were disturbed by noise from the con- struction site during Mass. Upon receiving the report, MEPA reacted by issuing an enforcement order against the new develop- ment. Subsequently the owners of the villa tried to legalise the works, claiming the wall was necessary to resist pressure from the clay slope, which is threatening the stability of Villa Barbara. But a site inspection revealed that the illegal works also comprised the expansion of the villa's back garden through excavations into the clay slope. These works not only resulted in a major overspill of construction ma- terial onto surrounding agricultural land, but also destabilised the clay slope. Subsequently an application was presented aimed at regularising the illegal works and to reinstate the ar- ea with soil to its "original levels". Agatha Barbara's former villa flagged for illegalities Ta' Pinu church. A report on a villa built opposite the church says that 'should no permits be traced, the villa would be allegedly illegal and the site would have to be reinstated to its original state". Inset: The late President, Agatha Barbara Hili Group seeks permit for 32 warehouses Sliema townhouse to make way for apartments MEPA overturns case officer's negative recommendation