Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/537300
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 JULY 2015 4 News CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Spread over an area 300,000 square me- tres, Charles Polidano turned the area into an exhibition space, wedding venue, a zoo, and a win- ery… but altogether has been hit by numerous enforcements for repeated planning illegalities over the years. Despite the MEPA refusal, or- ganiser Paul Abela, formerly of the Trade Fairs Exhibitors Asso- ciation that exhibited at Naxxar, insisted that the Fiera l-Kbira will go on. "Since 2014, there has been no new enforcement order on the area [Montekristo]. We have all intention of opening the fair this year, as we have the necessary trading licence required by law to hold the fair," Abela said. His defiant tone is informed by the fact that other trade fairs have in the past, never conformed 100% with all the necessary licence reg- ulations: even the MFCC at Ta' Qali remains faced with a pend- ing enforcement sine 2002, for its take-up of an adjacent piece land for the erection of tent space and parking of trailers, without per- mit. "If successive governments al- lowed all these fairs to operate, de- spite their irregularities, and with both police and MEPA allowing them to operate, then the govern- ment should allow this fair to pro- ceed – that's why we will be going ahead with the fair," Abela said. "In no way can I envisage that the authorities will come to the discriminatory position of hold- ing something so beneficial to the economy, from taking place," he said. Sources told MaltaToday that MEPA is keen to appear consist- ent on the permit refusal, when back in October 2014 the police refused a permit for a drifting competition at Montekristo Es- tates, after MEPA objected. Back then the King of Europe Malta drifting competition was forced to relocate its event, when MEPA refused a permit in view of a number of pending illegalities that Montekristo Estates had yet to sort out. The authority had offered the issuance of the permit against a number of conditions, one of them being the closing down of the illegal zoo, which was one of the main attractions at the Fiera l-Kbira held in July 2014. MEPA had also asked Polidano Bros to remove a number of ille- galities that took place following the Fiera l-Kbira event that was al- lowed to take place that year – re- portedly because the police failed to request MEPA's views on issu- ing a permit. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was foursquare behind MEPA's decision: "MEPA was correct in taking the steps it took. You [the media] would have been the first to question how the permit was is- sued if MEPA had not objected," he said at the time. Despite enforcements dealt against him, Polidano has defied MEPA only recently by carrying out finishing works on an office block in Luqa that the authority says is illegal. The five-storey office block was only partly covered by a permit but Polidano built two additional floors without planning approval. The block is adjacent to Mon- tekristo Estates. CEO Jean Paul Sammut told MaltaToday that Polidano Bros was alerted to the illegality and agreed with MEPA that it would not carry out any finishing on the additional floors it had built. The Ombudsman's Commis- sioner for Planning, David Pace, had told The Times that if the finishing works formed part of the development applied for, such as apertures, materials, colours to façade, landscaping and so on, then such work cannot proceed if hit by enforcement action. THE Ministry for Education has taken matters into its own hands after newly published guidelines issued by the National Coun- cil for the Maltese Language on countries and their citizens did not go down well in the country. Among other quirks, a Dutch person who is usually referred to in Maltese as 'Olandiz' (from the country name, Holland) is to become known as 'Nether- landiz' (from the 'Netherlands'), even retaining the 'th', though 'd' is sounded in pronouncing the word in Maltese. In the launch of its consulta- tion document, the Ministry for Education pointed out that the Maltese language was a relative restricted one but nonetheless a language that has become an in- trinsic part of the Maltese iden- tity: "It must be treated with the necessary respect and protection it requires," it said. The document concedes that technology is leaving its footprint in the use of the language but it is also negatively affecting both written and spoken Maltese and English. "It's time to have an in depth discussion on consistency and uniformity in the use of the Mal- tese language." For example, the ministry pro- poses a clear distinction between written and spoken Maltese; since Malta was never monolin- gual, the choice of new words or terminology should not be influ- enced only by English or Ameri- can. The functions of the Council are also up for consultation. The document will be available on the education ministry's web- site as from tomorrow. Consulta- tion will close on 6 August. 'We'll go ahead' says organiser 'Olandiz' becomes quirky 'Netherlandiz' Ministry for Education launches Maltese language document for consultation A touch of red: Charles Polidano's extensive Montekristo estates, adjacent to the Polidano Bros plant in Hal-Farrug: the red outline in the area by the corner of the airfield shows the enforcement that is threatening the Fiera l-Kbira