Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/640308
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2016 9 JAMES DEBONO THE owner of an illegal restaurant in Gudja is seeking the Malta Envi- ronment and Planning Authority's green light to designate guidelines for a 'tourism development' he wants built on the surrounding fields he has at Dawret il-Gudja. Anton Scicluna, whose restaurant was slapped with a MEPA enforce- ment notice but remains open for private functions, has a legal title on the land through a lease from the government. In 2012, MEPA had issued an enforcement order against the use of the farmhouse on the site as a bar and restaurant. The land itself, in the vicinity of the Bir Miftuh chapel, was include in the extension of the development boundaries of 2006, carried out by the Nationalist administration. But Scicluna's new plans for the land also carry the official stamp and signature of Raymond Camill- eri, the former director of the Gov- ernment Property Division, which were signed in August 2015. Under normal procedures, the GPD does not issue its consent to development on public land before a planning permit is issued. Devel- opers are only expected to inform the GPD of their planning applica- tions with the understanding that consent is issued after MEPA ap- proval. This policy was confirmed by a government spokesperson to Mal- taToday back in May 2014: "The normal practice followed by the GPD, whenever development ap- plications are made by the private sector for development on public land, is that the GPD is given the necessary mandatory notice. The GPD will then await the outcome of such an application." Restaurant owner Anton Scicluna insisted that he was following ex- isting procedures by seeking the Lands Department's consent. He defended the legality of the use of his farmhouse for what he calls "private functions", insisting that it is not a restaurant. Queries sent to the Office of the Prime Minister on whether the of- ficial stamp of the GPD signifies approval of the plans submitted to MEPA, were not answered by the time of going to print. The site in question includes a number of planning irregulari- ties. An enforcement notice dat- ing back to 2012 was issued against OSA Services Ltd because of the use of a farmhouse as a restaurant and a bar. It also refers to illegally constructed rooms, ovens, stores, pavements and cages. The present application present- ed by OSA Limited, the company owned by Oswald and Anton Sci- cluna, is a request for development parameters in which MEPA sets the building heights and the kind of development which can be allowed in the area. MaltaToday is informed that a number of Gudja residents and farmers in the area met this week and appointed Carmel Cacopardo in his capacity as an architect to present their objections to the pro- posed development. The Sciclunas' plans envision a mixed-use commercial building which includes "touristic oriented activities" over two floors, and a semi-basement on part of the site. 40% of the site will be kept unde- veloped. The application refers to the de- velopment of a Class 3A develop- ment (guesthouses) and 3C devel- opment (leisure activities like gyms and theatres). The development will also include a picnic area and a parking area. Anton Scicluna told MaltaTo- day he was aiming at developing a "family park" that would include gardens and leisure facilities for the public. He said he had followed all the required procedures since the development would be partly lo- cated on public land, for which he needed the GPD's consent. "In the process of our application we have to consult various government en- tities and the GPD was one of the entities we consulted." Scicluna shrugged off the pending enforcements against the change of use of his farmhouse to a "restau- rant", replying that he only takes bookings for private functions, for which he has a permit. News Dear Mr Ripard, I was finally invited by the Commodore to attend a conciliatory meeting with the Royal Malta Yacht Club Executive Committee this past Friday, the 6th of February, after an 11 months spell of silence since my first mail of the 27th of February 2015, where I had voiced my complaint to the Honorary Secretary of the RMYC in respect of the very grave incident that took place on the Club's premises last year involving Mr Bonello DuPuis. This and subsequent communication have during this time not been acknowledged or replied to by the Committee of the Royal Malta Yacht Club. I would like to request from you Mr Ripard to refrain from misrepresenting yourself to the Royal Malta Yacht Club members by stating that your role in the Royal Malta Yacht Club is only that of a consulting capacity. The reality Mr Ripard, is that you personally ran, what turned out to be a chaotic and unprofessional meeting, which the Commodore was incapable to bring to order after we had unanimously agreed to follow the rules of the meeting I had proposed in order to avoid an uncontrollable meeting as I feared it could be. Fortunately, I took the precaution to tape the meeting after I was allowed to do so, by the Vice Commodore, should I need a proof of the described meeting in the future to support the content therein. Mr Ripard, you continuously and rudely interrupted me and intersected with provocative and confrontational phrases, while I had the floor and was trying to present my case in an orderly fashion. You further insulted me on three occasions during the meeting and did not allow me to adequately present my complaint. Appalled by the very low and unprofessional standards exercised during the meeting, I was left with no dignified alternative but to retire abruptly from the meeting. Mr Ripard, I hold you personally responsible for derailing what was supposed to be a conciliatory meeting. Your abusive and insulting behaviour, just like the previous long standing Commodore (Mr Bonello DuPuis) of the club was responsible for the grave disciplinary incident that generated my complaint, should in all fairness warrant either to strip you from and/or otherwise deserve your dignified relinquishment from the title of Honorary President. You do undesired grave damage (both public and private) to the esteemed Royal Malta Yacht Club's members in the way you conduct your 'consulting' role when managing the club's affairs, details of which I will again communicate in the same manner I have previously been forced to resort to. I believe that for the years you have left to enjoy, you should consider retiring from the closed 'ivory tower' that represent the Authorities of the RMYC - the same one that fails to communicate with its members according to clause 10.3 of the Club Statutes - in order for you to truly enjoy the club rather than confront and insult members who have the right to complain in the manner you and the Committee run the club; especially in regards to handling complaints and disciplinary cases that have arisen from others and obviously mine and that additionally go unacknowledged and unanswered. I am hereby requesting a formal written apology from you personally and one from the Committee for the insulting, ineffective and unprofessional treatment a simple full paying member of the club like myself and some others have to put up with, when placing a valid complaint to the authorities of the Royal Malta Yacht Club, to be placed on the club's notice board, adjacent to the very insulting letter addressed to me and signed by the Honorary Secretary already there. I remain respectfully yours, Carlos Noriega Notice for Royal Malta yacht club members Dear Members, please find hereunder a letter sent to Mr John Ripard senior in response to a most insulting letter received by the executive committee which was published in this news paper on, Wednesday 13 of January 2016 cc: Executive Committee Honorary President Royal Malta Yacht Club John Ripard Sr. THIS IS A PAID ADVERT Tourism project proposed on site of irregular Gudja 'restaurant' Plans earmarking a request for development zoning which include the GPD stamp