Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/546399
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 26 JULY 2015 10 News Natura 2000 management plan warns of environmental risks but does not rule out expansion of hotel Comino Hotel owners formulating 'development plan' JAMES DEBONO THE owners of the Comino holi- day complex have been seeking to redevelop their properties for the past several years, and are now currently in the process of formu- lating "a development plan for the area" – according to a manage- ment plan for Comino's Natura 2000 sites. The plan warns that further de- velopment could affect the pro- tected habitats and protected spe- cies on the unpopulated island. "If development is to be consid- ered at all, it needs to take very strong cognizance of the location of these properties and respect the surrounding protected land and the impacts that urban develop- ment may have on such sites," the management plan states. In fact, the newly issued plan does not rule out further expan- sion of hotel facilities in Comino, but simply states that both the environmental and planning au- thorities should ensure that any development permit applications for further urbanisation, includ- ing further development of roads, paths and other infrastructure, are accompanied by an appropriate as- sessment. The assessment will have to take into account the habitats and spe- cies present on site, as well as the management and operational ob- jectives contained in the manage- ment plan. The Strategic Plan for the En- vironment and Development (SPED), which replaced the Struc- ture Plan approved in 1992, in- cludes specific proposals for tour- ism development on "previously developed land in Comino". An application for the extension of the Comino Hotel was present- ed 15 years ago and suspended by MEPA in 2003, when the architect failed to submit the required docu- ments within the legal timeframe. How hotel changed ownership Historically, the island was leased for 150 years to Comino Develop- ment Co. Ltd, a company owned by John Gaul, at the annual rent of £100. The Borg Olivier government negotiated a new deal to reduce Gaul's ownership to the area pres- ently occupied by the Comino Ho- tel, at San Niklaw Bay and the bun- galows at Santa Marija Bay. In the late 1960s, Cecil Pace acquired the Comino Hotel but when the banker was arrested over misappropriation of funds and his BICAL bank licence suspended, the hotel was indiscriminately re- turned to John Gaul. In 2007, entrepreneurs Joseph Gasan and George Fenech bought a share in Kemmuna Ltd, which runs the Comino Hotel, by acquir- ing a stake in Ropes Services Ltd in November 2007, a company reg- istered in the Isle of Man. Mizzi Associated Enterprises, owned by property magnate Albert Mizzi, al- so owns a stake in Ropes Services. The local plan for Comino ac- cords the island the status of Special Area of Conservation and nature reserve, and only allows de- velopers to "upgrade" the existing tourist complex and hotel if it is "compatible with the sensitivity of the surrounding context". jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt JAMES DEBONO THE son of Piju Camilleri, once notorious as an acolyte of the late Labour minister for public works Lorry Sant, is seeking a permit for a new petrol station on Mdina Road, in Attard. Ludwig Camilleri has applied to relocate a kerbside fuel station in Valley Road, Msida, to a 3,000 square metre site outside develop- ment zone, on Mdina Road. Both Piju Camilleri and Ludwig Camileri are directors of Luqa De- velopments Limited. A newly-approved planning pol- icy now permits the relocation of petrol stations that are presently located in urban areas, to land out- side development zones (ODZ). Additionally, the policy allows owners to expand their operation to up to 3,000 square metres when relocated to ODZ areas. The petrol station is being pro- posed just a short distance away from the controversial Pit Stop petrol station near Mount Carmel Hospital, which had been approved in 2006 despite a clear recommen- dation by the case officer for a re- fusal. Residents whose houses are just 40 metres away from the pet- rol station had opposed the devel- opment over rising levels of ben- zene pollution. The area is also an important water catchment area. The new proposal would require the felling of a number of trees along the road and the demolition of existing rubble walls. Camilleri owns several plots of land in the area, some of which date back to the 1980s when Camilleri served as Lorry Sant's works manager. Plans to construct dwellings in the area were opposed by former Labour minister Daniel Micallef and subsequently the area was declared outside development boundaries by the newly elected PN government. A proposal for a 1,000-grave cem- etery on a nearby site along Mdina Road between Attard and Rabat was also submitted in 2011, but a recently approved policy bans the development of new cemeteries. Gasan wants extension to Pjazzetta development Mdina Road being earmarked for second ODZ petrol station DEVELOPER Mark Gasan has ap- plied to demolish two townhouses in the corner of High Street, Sliema, to amalgamate this new development, consisting of apartments and offices, with the already approved nine-sto- rey development in the Pjazzetta. The new development, set to re- place the two-storey townhouses, will be eight storeys and a penthouse, with three underground parking lev- els of 180 car spaces. The building will have a staggered height with a lower six-level eleva- tion immediately on High Street, and rising to nine levels on the Pjazzetta. The permit to develop the Pjazz- etta, submitted by the Gasan Group in 2004, was unanimously approved by the Malta Environment and Plan- ning Authority board on Wednes- day afternoon, nearly 10 years since the application was filed. The block will be built on the site of the former naval clinic in Tower Road at the corner of Għar il-Lembi Street, which was illegally demol- ished. The only remaining features are the façade and the pillars that flanked the gateway to the grounds. Mark Gasan has also applied to develop a 38-storey tower in the vi- cinity of Villa Drago, as part of the Townsquare project. Studies show that the junction between Tower Road, Sliema, and Qui-Si-Sana will become critical in five years' time as a result both of nationwide traffic growth and the traffic generated by a number of developments approved in recent years. But developers claim that this problem will be solved by a planned upgrade of this junction. COURT NOTICE The Registrar, Civil Courts and Tribunals notifies that the First Hall of the Civil Court ordered the sale by Judicial Auction of the following property to be held in the corridors of the Courts of Justice, Republic Street, Valletta. Date and Time Judicial Sale No Property 6th August, 2015 33/14 - 11.30am EM The tenement official numbered eighty four (84) known as numbered sixty three (63), in Triq Santa Marija, Gudja, subject to annual ground rent of one Maltese Lira (Lm1.00) equivalent to two Euro and thirty three Euro cents (!2.33) including the relative airspace of the said property valued at eighty five thousand euro (!85,000) 6th August, 2015 17/15 - 12.00pm JGL Half undivided share of a house of character numbered two (2) in alley number one(1), in Triq Tumas Dingli, Mosta, free and unencumbered with all its appurtanences, including the airspace valued at one hundred and fifty one thousand, four hundred and fifty Euros ( !151,450.00) Further details can be obtained from the website: http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/courtservices/JudicialSales/search.aspx The bidders taking part in the auction must present their identity card. Rudolph Marmara' For the Registrar of Civil Courts and Tribunals COURT NOTICE The Registrar of Civil Courts and Tribunals informs that theCivil Court, First Hall ordered the following sales by auction: Date and time Place Items 3 rd August, 2015 9.30am – 28/15 EGL Four hundred and forty seven (447), Triq il-Kbira San !uzepp, Santa Venera Vehicle of the make KIA white in colour with the registration number DAT 151. 3 rd August, 2015 10.00am – 29/15 JGL Four hundred and forty seven (447), Triq il-Kbira San !uzepp, Santa Venera Vehicle of the make Toyota with the registration number JSN801 coloured red. 5 th August , 2015 12.00pm - 32/11 JGL First Floor, Law Courts, Republic Street, Valletta One hundred (100) ordinary shares within the company S.C.& Company Ltd. C-6050 Further details can be obtained from the website: http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/courtservices/JudicialSales/search.aspx The bidders taking part in the auction must present their identity card Rudolph Marmara' For the Registrar Civil Courts and Tribunals The plan warns that development could affect the protected habitats and species in Comino Mdina Road, Attard: site of the proposed petrol station