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6 JAMES DEBONO THE stability of a unique huge cave close to St George's Bay in St Julian's may stand in the way of huge high rise developments planned for the area. The protected cave is known as Ghar Harq il-Hammiem and is located partly beneath Moyni- han House, which has been iden- tified for a five-storey block as part of the Villa Rosa develop- ment. A buffer zone intended to pro- tect the cave includes part of the Institute of Tourism Studies, which has been identified for a large scale project that includes two high rise towers. The cave is the only known fully submerged terrestrial cav- ern in the Maltese islands and is inhabited by the rare albino shrimp. Any proposed development within the buffer zone designat- ed by the Planning Authority in 1996 has to be assessed in terms of their potential impact on the "stability and geology of Ghar Harq il-Hammiem". The original draft of the North Harbour Local Plan, published in 1999, had identified the Moyni- han House area in St George's Bay as a site for a car park, which was to be incorporated in com- mercial and residential facilities. But the project was abandoned following a detailed study of the nearby Ghar Harq il-Hammiem, which was commissioned by the Planning Authority and revealed that the cave was far larger than originally thought. The cave was found to open up and the water in it reached a depth of 52 metres below sea level. The surface of the water was found to be at a depth of 16 metres below sea level. The studies led to the discov- ery of a passage connecting the first chamber to a deeper cham- ber closer to the tourism insti- tute training school. The stability of Ghar Harq il-Hammiem is related to the thickness of its roof. "The roof is over 30 metres thick in the deeper chamber, which makes it relatively safe," geologist Peter Gatt told Malta- Today. According to Gatt the cave may have reached some form of equilibrium and could be "rela- tively stable". However, "further studies need to be carried out to assess the stability of the cave", he said, when asked whether the cave could be impacted by exca- vations in the area. Gatt pointed out that the ex- tent of Ghar Harq il-Hammiem is known and the cave has been mapped. Gatt also insists that no exca- vation of rock should be carried out directly over the cave roof. Another expert who spoke to MaltaToday on condition of an- onymity expressed concern on the cumulative impact of having a number of excavations taking place at the same time. "While studies indicate that the cave has a thick roof which makes it relatively stable, having a number of projects involving multiple excavations does raise some concern. That is why all projects proposed in St George's Bay should be assessed together with regard to geological im- pacts." Developments in the area The redevelopment of Moyni- han House is being proposed by developer Anton Camilleri, on behalf of Garnet Investments Ltd, which has recently present- ed plans that include residential and commercial developments on the Villa Rosa grounds and adjacent areas. Recently plans were amended to include a high rise tower closer to the beach. Moynihan House and Dolphin House, the two buildings pro- posed for demolition, do not en- joy any degree of protection. The demolition and redevelop- ment of the two buildings will yield 6,010 square metres of of- fice space, 1,800 square metres for restaurants and 2,980 square metres for a language School. The commercial space would be located on the ground f loor and intermediate level, the of- fices would be located over all f loors (ground to fifth f loor), and the language school would occupy the first to fourth f loor levels. An EIA on the Villa Rosa devel- opment refers to the Ghar Harq il-Hammiem, stating that the site was examined by geologists and geo-technical engineers, who are of the opinion that it is possible for a new building to be erected in the area as long as appropriate measures are taken. A new casino, a 24,000 square metre shopping mall and two residential towers, one of 23 f loors and another of 29 f loors are also being proposed by the Seabank group on the site of the ITS. MaltaToday is also informed that the EIA for the project will assess the impact on the stabil- ity of the caves. Another project in the vicinity of the cave is that proposed by Corinthia which presently owns hotels opposite the ITS. The Corinthia Group's plans for St George's Bay include two luxury hotels, one of them housed in a tower, upmarket residences and boutique retail areas. The importance of the cave The name of the cave, with its large freshwater pool, is said to originate from the word hamem, referring to the sound of drip- ping water. Harq Hammiem cave is situated on the north side of St George's Bay. The entrance to the cave is at the base of an es- carpment, located on the north- ern f lank of the Harq Hammiem valley. According to Peter Gatt the cave is the result of the crossing of two faults and dissolution of limestone by rain water along these faults. The cave constitutes a unique natural feature in the Maltese Islands. It consists of two cham- bers on different levels, with an interconnecting narrow cor- ridor leading from the upper chamber to a fully submerged lower chamber. The cave is the only known fully submerged terrestrial cav- ern in the Maltese Islands. The water inside the cave approxi- mates freshwater at the surface, turning brackish with depth and having seawater characteristics at deeper levels (below the f loor of the upper chamber). The cave was formed by a complex mechanism involving intense karstic activity and tec- tonics. The cave was the only known locality for a type of rove beetle. Populations of another rarely occurring insect have also been recorded at the cave's entrance, where an old f light of stone steps leads down to the water. maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 15 JUNE 2016 News HealthCare Professions Act, 2003 (Act No. XII of 2003) Elections for the Council for Nurses and Midwives Nominations of Candidates It is hereby notified that, for the purpose of Regulations 5 of the Council for Nurses and Midwives (Elections) Regulations 2004, the nominations of candidates to fill the posts of five registered nurses elected from amongst and by all nurses, one of whom shall be a second level registered nurse and another shall be a nurse whose name is entered in any of the special parts of the Register of Nurs- es; and two licensed midwives as members of the Council for Nurses and Midwives, in accordance with the provisions of Section 49 HCPA of the 2003 (Cap. 464) will be received by the Registrar of the Council for Nurses and Midwives, at the Council's Registrar office, Level 1 Ex Outpatients St Luke's Hospital Pieta ,from the 18th to the 19th July 2016 between 8.30 a.m. and 12 MD. e nomination forms for candidates are obtainable from the Council's Registrar Office in Malta from 8th July till 19th July 2016 between 9am to 12 MD (midday). Charles Galea Electoral Commissioner Adrian Farrugia Electoral Commissioner Giselle Curmi Electoral Commissioner St George's Bay high rise plans weigh heavily on unique cave's stability The cave stretches from the valley behind Villa Rosa to the ITS building