MaltaToday previous editions

MT 27 April 2016

Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/671725

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 7 of 23

8 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 27 APRIL 2016 News IN ALL LEADING BOOK SHOPS HISTORY OF ORNITHOLOGY IN MALTA Ta' Masrija: As PA set to approve 152 apartments, a further 47 proposed JAMES DEBONO AS the Planning Authority's board will meet tomorrow to decide whether to approve an application by GAP Developments to construct 152 apartments and 168 garages at ta' Masrija, a new application has popped up to construct 47 apart- ments and 40 garages on an adja- cent site. The newly proposed development will overlook Triq il-Masrija and is being proposed on a site adjacent to the GAP development. The new ap- plication set over 1,730 square me- tres of land consists of six levels and a penthouse and is being proposed by Jason Mifsud. The piecemeal approach to devel- opment in the area is the result of a change in policy through which the requirement for a comprehensive plan for the area was removed. The GAP development is being recommended for approval by the case officer. According to the case officer the GAP application abides by the crite- ria of policies applying for the area. The case officer report warns that the GAP development will be the first one of its extent and height in the area and that other future devel- opments will follow suit. GAP will be expected to contrib- ute €193,000 as a planning gain for the required improvements to the junction at Triq il-Mithna l-Qadi- ma and Mizieb. The cost of the new junction totalling €740,000 will be split among all developers of differ- ent plots. GAP has also presented an ad- dendum to the original EIA for the project, detailing the visual impact of their application from sensitive views from Mizieb and Wardija, claiming an improvement over plans presented in 2006 which fore- saw the application of the floor area ratio mechanism, a controversial planning mechanism allowing ex- tra floors in return for more open spaces. While MEPA's stated objectives for the planning review was to prohibit the adoption of the floor- area-ratio (FAR) policy on this site, the new policy approved in 2015 still permits heights of four and five floors, with increased heights of up to seven floors in some parts of the site. Only two- to three-storey buildings are allowed in surround- ing areas. Under intense pressure from resi- dents MEPA had already commit- ted not to apply the floor-to-area ratio policy in correspondence with the Mellieha local council dating back to 2007. The council had op- posed an original application for 462 apartments, more than 700 parking spaces, a 1,025-square- metre neighbourhood centre, and a club of similar size. The GAP application was pre- sented in November 2015 just two weeks after a policy review which is set to allow buildings of up to seven storeys high, on parts of the site. The proposed block will be seven storeys high above three basement levels for 168 garages. The GAP proposal only covers a part of the site that lies along the Mellieha by-pass. Although located within devel- opment zones, the proposal is still considered sensitive as it is located on a ridge and is set to impact on views enjoyed by residents living in two or three-storey houses in the surrounding areas. GAP – owned by Paul Attard, George Muscat and Adrian Muscat – are the developers behind Tigné's Fort Cambridge and recently pro- posed the development of a 40-sto- rey hotel right next door. Residents have argued that such development would create exces- sive shadowing of a substantial number of properties. In 2015 the board refused a proposed amend- ment to minimise the visual impact by stepping down the development by reducing the building height to- wards the front of the site. The ME - PA board claimed that the policy review was initiated after the vari- ous site owners failed to reach an agreement on a comprehensive plan as requested in the 2006 Planning Policy for Ta' Masrija. An artist's impression of the Ta' Masrija development in Mellieha Malta's tight-knit social networks 'obstacle' for integration of migrants TIM DIACONO TIGHT-KNIT social networks in Malta are hindering mi- grants from fully integrating into society, a NGO working with marginalised people has been told. "People in Malta often grow up with the same people and maintain the same circle of friends until they die," Lorna Muscat, a British project man- ager at human rights group SOS Malta said. "In London, nobody knows anybody so you are forced to make friends with strangers, but in Malta every- body has their family and social networks in place from a young age. It's very tough for foreign- ers to tap into those circles, and I only managed because I mar- ried a Maltese man. "The workplace is where for- eigners tend to feel most equal to Maltese people, as it is the only time where they can feel that they are part of the com- munity." She added that such networks make it hard for migrants to find work in certain profes- sions – such as law and engi- neering. Muscat was speaking at a discussion session organised by the Foundation for the Pro- motion of Social Inclusion – as part of an EU-funded project that will culminate with the NGO presenting the govern- ment with a set of recommen- dations. The project is zooming in on Roma gypsies in other EU countries, but its Malta branch is focusing on all immigrants due to the lack of Roma immi- grants here. Lorna Muscat said that for- eign cultures should be includ- ed in Maltese events – such as Carnival and the V18 activities. "Foreigners should feel proud to live in Malta, and the V18 should be for everybody living in Malta and not just the Mal- tese. The revitalization of Val- letta is really exciting for Mal- tese youths, but it should also be accessible to foreigners." 'Malta is an absolutely racist society' During the discussion, a Tu- nisian immigrant – who chose to remain anonymous – had damning words for Maltese society, which she described as "absolutely racist". "I never knew what racism was like until I came to Malta, but I feel entirely excluded from so- ciety here," she said, sounding clearly frustrated. "As soon as I tell people that I'm from Tuni- sia, their expressions suddenly change and it feels awful." She expressed her fears that her daughter would grow up socially excluded, causing her to hate Maltese society. "It was normal for people in Brussels and Paris to grow up in hatred and social exclusion," she said, referring to two Euro- pean cities that were recent tar- gets of terror attacks. "Malta is my daughter's country now and I fear that she will grow up full of hate for society and herself. Nobody speaks to us; we are all alone and absolutely excluded and ignored by society. Nobody sees us at all. My daughter loves singing, but everyone ignores her as soon as she leaves her singing class." "At least she's beautiful, and I will try to attract her the at- tention of a handsome Maltese boy, but can you imagine how badly the situation could end up for a black boy growing up on the island?" She said that the only way to seek social life in Malta was to attend Church or the mosque, with neither option appealing to her, and urged the govern - ment to adopt a quota system for the employment of foreign nationals. "A normal person and a per- son with special needs cannot run the same race. If you give me the same opportunities as a perfect Maltese 23-year-old girl, it still won't be fair." However, she admitted that the problem is double-sided, and that Tunisians "are also racist". "When I heard somebody speaking Moroccan, I instantly felt drawn to her and felt safe with her. It is a fake sort of safe- ty though. The solution must come from the government, that must have the will to pull people of different cultures to- gether."

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of MaltaToday previous editions - MT 27 April 2016