Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/685992
6 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 1 JUNE 2016 News MDA boss dismisses 'crazy' proposal for moratorium on large-scale projects TIM DIACONO THE government "would be crazy" to support independent MP Marlene Farrugia's call for a moratorium on large scale pro- jects, according to Malta Devel- opers Association president San- dro Chetcuti. Farrugia has presented a par- liamentary motion calling for a moratorium on large projects pending the design of a master- plan regulating such develop- ments. However, Chetcuti dis- missed her call and insisted that developments should proceed according to the set local plans. "I can speculate that Parlia- ment won't pass this motion, as I don't believe that the govern- ment is crazy enough to halt all ongoing works because of the proposed high-rise projects," he said on Monday night's edition of Reporter. "Local plans are the bible of development, and if the government wants to revise them, then it must first embark on a wide-ranging public consul- tation process. Farrugia's motion follows reve- lations of plans to construct four skyscrapers in Paceville – two at the site currently occupied by the Institute for Tourism Stud- ies, one at Villa Rosa, and an- other at the Mercury House site. Other high-rise buildings have been proposed in Sliema, Gzira, and Mriehel. Chetcuti insisted that local plans shouldn't be updated spe- cifically to appease developers, but rather that developers should have to update their designs ac- cording to the new local plans. He added that the govern- ment's ongoing consultation for the partial review of Paceville's local plan should also take into account the impact of any new policies on the surrounding area. Skyscrapers 'can create more open spaces' Social equality campaigner and Moviment Graffiti member An- dre Callus warned that Malta is too small to accommodate fur- ther large-scale development. "Many people are in favour of high-rise because they think that it is better to build upwards rather than to take up more land," he said. "However, this is a fallacy based on the belief that we have to keep on building, even though there are 72,000 va- cant properties on the island. "The people haven't yet real- ized that these high-rise build- ings are not being planned to house people, but as speculative projects based on the illusion that wealthy foreigners will in- vest in them. When asked by host Saviour Balzan how he will convince the public that the Maltese economy should shift away from the con- struction industry as its primary motor, Callus said that people are able to realize that land is scarce. "Land is Malta's most precious resource, and it can no longer remain the main source through which people make money. There are always alternatives; the economy isn't a phenomenon that falls out of the sky but rath- er something built up through government incentives." He was skeptical to Chetcu- ti's insistence that developers should follow the local plans, ar- guing that places like Sliema and St Julian's have been developed "savagely" over the years despite all the regulations and laws. "Regulations are important, but at the end of the day it is those unelected, wealthy and powerful people who call the shots. Regulations – such as building height limits and ODZ exceptions – have been changed over the years to appease certain people." Callus has lent his support to a new green activist group Kamp Emergenza Ambjent, who re- cently erected tents outside Cas- tille in protest at environmental destruction. "Many people from all walks of life are alarmed at the way land is being treated as a commodity for a few people to get rich," he said. However, Sandro Chetcuti re- torted by insisting that the dawn of skyscrapers could have envi- ronmental benefits in the form of more open spaces. "High-rise is an interesting model that has worked in every country that it has been intro- duced in," he said. "They take up less land than normal buildings do, and the land that is saved can be used to create open spaces for the public. "Indeed, high-rise should be intertwined with the spirit of public open spaces, or else we'll end up with towers touching each other with no spaces in be- tween." However, he warned that al- lowing all the proposed high- rise projects to proceed simul- taneously risks overheating the market. "While I understand the gov- ernment is enthusiastic to keep on improving the economy, it shouldn't allow all these large projects to be built at the same time, but rather save some of them for a rainy day." MDA president Sandro Chetcuti made a case for skyscrapers, arguing that high-rise buildings will create more public open spaces Decision on new party to be taken on Thursday JURGEN BALZAN THE decision to launch a new party will be taken this Thurs- day, MaltaToday has learnt. Independent MP Marlene Far- rugia will spearhead the new party, which she had described as being of centre-left inspira- tion. This comes after Farrugia' yet unnamed party figured – for the first time ever - in Mal- taToday's latest survey, with 1.5% of respondents saying they would vote for the Inde- pendent MP's embryonic new party. MaltaToday is informed that the core group will be taking a decision this Thursday on whether to officially launch the party and have it regis- tered. Farrugia and the core group have been meeting for weeks in order to draw up a statute and define its political plat- form. The new party, which will be adding more colour to the po- litical spectrum, will be using orange as its colour, MaltaTo- day has learnt. Traditionally, orange is the colour of the Christian Demo- crats but it has also been used by a variety of populist parties. In the UK, the colour was traditionally used by the Lib- eral Party, while in Northern Ireland the colour is associ- ated with the unionists. The colour is also used by the Dutch conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. In Ukraine, orange was the colour of liberal groups that participated in the "Orange Revolution" led by Yulia Ty- moshenko in the aftermath of the 2004 Ukrainian presiden- tial election which was marred by corruption and electoral fraud. Where does new party stand? Although Farrugia had pub- licly admitted that the new party will be of a centre-left inspiration, it remains to be seen how any new grouping will tackle issues like labour rights, civil liberties, and im- migration. Although the sample of re- spondents who declared their intention to vote for the new party in MaltaToday's May survey, a breakdown of Farru- gia's vote base by past voting intentions suggests that the new party is getting most of its support from past PN voters. Farrugia is thought to be the only established politician in the new party's leadership and the MP has so far refused to reveal the identity of the other members of the core group, who have little or no political experience. In March, Alternattiva Demokratika deputy chair- person Carmel Cacopardo revealed that his party was involved in talks with Farru- gia, supporting the creation of another third party that can challenge the Maltese duopoly. But it is understood that the Greens broke off the talks af- ter the new party's ideological path remained unclear. NAO warns Mater Dei Hospital over MIRIAM DALLI MATER Dei Hospital has two Fa- cebook pages, one official and the other not, the National Audit Of- fice found. "Since the general public might not be aware that two different MDH Facebook pages exist, the NAO is of the opinion that the MDH Customer Care department should promote the official MDH Facebook page by providing links on the MDH website and ensure that these pages are continuously updated," the NAO said. "Furthermore, the NAO is con- cerned on the presence of the unofficial MDH Facebook page and is of the opinion that the MDH Customer Care depart- ment should also seek advice on the presence of this page as it is misleading the general public in thinking that this is the official MDH Facebook page." This emerges from a report by the National Audit Office in its analysis of Mater Dei's Informa- tion Technology system. The audit sought to examine the hospital's IT operations and, among others, to ensure that the systems maintain data integrity and safeguard assets. The exhaustive 145-page report goes into a detailed audit of the system and also makes recom- mendations of how these could be