Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/649887
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 MARCH 2016 10 News JAMES DEBONO THE Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage is objecting to the proposed addition of a receded new floor to the regatta club in Birgu, proposed by the local council. The application seeks to demol- ish illegal structures at ground floor level and to make altera- tions to the existing façade. The newly added floor would house a conference hall. But according to the Superin- tendence the proposed increase in height and volume in the im- mediate vicinity of the harbour fortifications will result in a high visual impact "that will negative- ly impact the existing landscape value of the harbour fortification area." The harbour fortifications have been proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO list of World Her- itage sites. In view of this the Su- perintendence is objecting to any intensification of development "in the highly sensitive area." But conversely, the MEPA's own internal heritage panel chaired by Magistrate Dennis Montebello has expressed itself favourably of the proposal. The panel is finding no objec- tion from a cultural heritage point of view, provided that the proposed windows at first floor level are of the same design and proportion as the apertures at ground floor level. It has also asked for all apertures to be in timber. Previously an application by the Birgu local council to add a storey to the regatta club which abuts on the bastion, was with- drawn after it was shot down by the Superintendence. The appli- cation also sought to regularise illegalities, which are now being removed. The Birgu council wants to up- grade existing facilities and make the area more attractive. When asked about the im- pact of the additional height on the historical landscape Mayor John Boxall had told MaltaTo- day: "We will surely not create a monstrosity like the new apart- ments [on the waterfront]." 'No to Ghomor valley old people's home' – Front DISUSED quarries should not be used as a pretext for the construc- tion of old people's homes but should be rehabilitated, landscaped and re-used for agricultural or public recreational purposes, the Front Harsien ODZ has insisted. The Front issued a statement in light of a proposal to the Malta En- vironment and Planning Author- ity to construct a 133-room old people's home in Wied Ghomor, which cuts through San Gwann, Swieqi and St Julian's. A report by the planning direc- torate is recommending the ap- proval of the development, which if accepted would occupy eight per cent of the quarry and rise two sto- reys above it. "We recognise that such quarries are in private ownership and are presently eyesores, but this should not be an excuse for new build- ings in rural areas," the Front said. "This is because such development will expose areas lying in outside development zones to more traf- fic." The Front also noted that the lo- cal plan lays down that any new building is to "occupy a minimal part of the site", and that MEPA had argued in 2011 that only five per cent of the site should be de- veloped. "We also note that, according to MEPA's Social Facilities and Com- munity Care Topic Paper, old peo- ple's homes should be located close to or within a town or village cen- tre to ensure the full integration of the elderly in local communities," the Front said. In its recommendations for the reform of the lands department, the Front had proposed the intro- duction of a procedure to enable the government to expropriate pri- vate land that includes eyesores. They proposed the establishment of a compensation fund that would be administered jointly by the new lands authority, the planning au- thority and the environment au- thority. PQs reveal over €34,000 in contracts for former PM's son A series of PQs by Labour MP Silvio Schembri has compiled the value of direct orders granted to the legal and trans- lation firm of the son of for- mer prime minister Lawrence Gonzi, during his administra- tions from 2004 until 2013. Over €34,000 was paid to Global Translation Solutions, a firm partly owned by David Gonzi, in mainly direct orders over a nine-year period. The direct orders included minor translations for his father's own speeches and other policy documents, for a total of €295. Another translation for the Italy-Malta programme for 2007-2013 was charged at €3,914, the cheapest offer from a request for quotations; €730 was charged to the for- mer investments and com- munications ministry; €4,736 on translations for the Equal- ity Commission after a call for quotations; €1,037 charged to the health department; and over €14,600 in translation works for the ministry of so- cial policy on a contract of service over some five years. A further €3,870 were charged to the finance min- istry in direct orders, over €1,660 to the Malta Tourism Authority, and €3,348 in di- rect orders over three years from Malta Enterprise. Birgu regatta extension could hamstring city's UNESCO heritage bid