Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/507285
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 6 MAY 2015 8 News Tulip restaurant to be re-developed New building to replace existing Tulip restaurant exceeds height limitation by five metres but incorporates old facade THE Environment Planning Com- mission has approved the redevel- opment of the old Tulip restaurant in Bahar ic-Caghaq, set on the newly widened coast road, with a larger and more contemporary structure. The new building, which includes the extensive use of glass, incorpo- rates the building's original façade, including the ornate doorways and arches. The older building was not sched- uled but was deemed as having cultural heritage importance by MEPA's advisory heritage panel, the Cultural Heritage Advisory Com- mittee. Following the HAC's objections the front façade of the building was incorporated in the design of the new larger building, which will be 13 metres high, exceeding the 8.5 metre height limit envisioned for this area in the local plan. The case officer justified this de- viation of policy noting that this was being done to retain the exist- ing façade, over which a new roof structure will be added. "It is understood that the proposal seeks to reach a balance between redeveloping this building and safe- guarding the important features of the old building." He also notes that the building is in an unstable and dangerous state. The new development will occupy a floor space of 547 square metres set over three storeys and includes contemporary design features. The restaurant will include a pizzeria and outside dining areas. Charles Grech was the only board member to have voted against. The project was proposed by Falbra Limited. Jobs and economy make Maltese secure JAMES DEBONO A Europe-wide survey confirms the high levels of satisfaction of the Maltese with their country's eco- nomic performance. In fact, the Maltese are the most likely in Europe to think that the employment and economic situa- tions in their country have a posi- tive impact on their personal sense of security. 61% of the Maltese expressed the view that the employment situation has a positive impact on their sense of security while 65% think that the economic situation in Malta also has a positive impact on their sense of security. This emerges from a survey on security issues conducted by Eurobarometer in March. The survey shows that 22% of the Maltese think that the employment situation has a "very positive im- pact" on their personal sense of se- curity. Only 7% of all respondents in the 28 EU states expressed a similar judgment. A further 39% of Mal- tese think that the employment sit- uation has a fairly positive impact. Only 14% of the Maltese (compared to 45% of all respondents in all 28 member states) think that the em- ployment situation in their country undermines their sense of security. The Swedes were the second most likely to consider the employment situation in their country to have a positive impact on their sense of se- curity. 47% of Swedes expressed this view followed by 42% of Danes. Only around a tenth of the re- spondents share this view in Spain (9%), Greece (11%) and Cyprus (11%). The Maltese are also the most likely to think that their country's economic situation contributes to their sense of security. The positive impact of the eco- nomic situation in their country on people's personal sense of security varies widely across the different Member States. The most positive impact can be observed in Malta (65%), Sweden (57%) and Denmark (50%). However, at the other end of the scale, in Spain and Cyprus (both 10%), just one in ten people thinks that the economic situation has a positive impact on their sense of security. In all but three countries, the em- ployment situation in their coun- try is perceived as having the least positive impact on citizens' sense of security The survey also shows that 46% of the Maltese consider irregular immigration to be one of the most important security challenges for their country. In eight Member States, at least a fifth of respondents consider ir- regular immigration to be one of the most important security chal- lenges. Unsurprisingly, the high- est proportions can be observed in Malta (46%), Italy (40%) and Greece (33%), three Member States located along the Mediterranean immigra- tion route. In 11 countries, a majority of the respondents say that challenges to the management of the EU's exter- nal borders will increase over the next three years. Respondents in Malta (60%) and Finland (58%) are the most likely to take this view, while those in Bulgaria and Latvia (both 32%) are the least likely to do so. In 10 Member States, at least 50% of people think that the army has a very important role to play in en- suring the security of citizens. The highest proportions of respond- ents who say this can be observed in Malta (77%) and Romania (72%), while the lowest can be seen in Luxembourg (14%) and Denmark (22%). Poverty is most mentioned as an important security challenge in five Member States: Greece (55%), Hungary (46%), Croatia (38%), Slo- vakia (37%) and Latvia (25%). In 10 countries, more than three out of 10 people mention poverty as an important security challenge. Relatively few people mention the other potential challenges to EU se- curity, with a couple of notable ex- ceptions: 23% of people in Bulgaria think that natural disasters are a major challenge, and 20% of re- spondents in Sweden say that envi- ronmental issues or climate change are a major challenge. Terrorism is seen as the EU's most important security challenge, with half of all respondents describing it as important. However, the level of concern var- ies considerably from country to country: 62% of people in Malta, but only 22% in Latvia, think terrorism is an important challenge. Glass will be used extensively in the new building, which will retain the facade of the old structure Employment affects the Maltese positively, Eurobarometer found