Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/694236
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 19 JUNE 2016 8 A church application for a new 960-grave cemetery in Pembroke, off Triq Sir Adrian Dingli, covering 7,000 square metres of agricultural land and originally approved in 2011, has not been renewed by the Planning Authority. The renewal application for the new cemetery was submitted with- in the stipulated timeframe which normally enables developers to renew permits before these expire without facing any problems. In fact the site was already com- mitted for this development through an 'outline permit' issued in 2005 and a full permit issued five years later. But a new policy approved last year has banned the development of new cemeteries, but allowing exten- sions to existing cemeteries. No works have been carried on the site and an application was present- ed to renew the permit just 10 days before the 2011 permit expired. The case officer acknowledged that in cases of a permit renewal, previous permits should prevail over any subsequent changes in policy. But the case officer insisted that this principle applied only if a "com- mencement notice" indicating that works had already started on the site was sent to the authority. In the ab- sence of such a "firm" commitment, the case officer concluded that the policy banning new cemeteries ap- proved in 2015 prevailed over a per- mit issued four years earlier. The Environment and Resources Authority had also objected against the take up of virgin undeveloped land. The land identified for the cem- etery formed part of the site ear- marked for the White Rocks Project when it was proposed as a sports and residential complex in 2010. A planning control application to change the designation of the site from public open space to become part of the White Rocks Develop- ment brief area is still pending. Since then the project has been re- vived as a luxury real estate develop- ment. Cemetery saga The Malta Environment and Planning Authority had originally refused the cemetery proposed by Pembroke parish priest Fr Anton Portelli in 2004 as this would have resulted in the loss of "well cultivat- ed agriculture land" located outside development zones. But only a year later, MEPA found itself overturning this decision fol- lowing an appeal presented by the church, and it issued an outline per- mit. The 2010 permit issued to Fr Jo- seph Sciberras was approved three months after the board postponed its decision to seek the advice of MEPA's executive board because the cemetery was located outside development zones. The present local plan designates the area as a "public open space." The cemetery itself already con- flicted with the original local plan approved in 2006. But the case officer's report stated that MEPA had already been given legal advice that the outline permit issued in 2005 prevailed over the lo- cal plan issued a year later. Ironically back in 2006, the Mal- ta Sports Council had informed MEPA that the BMX and IMRCC sports facilities were located next to the proposed cemetery. "The BMX and IMRCC generate considerable noise which could prove to be un- acceptable to the relatives of the de- ceased persons or persons visiting the cemetery," the council said. News HealthCare Professions Act, 2003 (Act No. XII of 2003) Elections for the Council for Nurses and Midwives Nominations of Candidates It is hereby notied that, for the purpose of Regulations 5 of the Council for Nurses and Midwives (Elections) Regulations 2004, the nominations of candidates to ll the posts of ve 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 oce, 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 Oce 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 Reward-based carpooling posed as solution to rush hour woes TIM DIACONO AS Transport Malta prepares to launch a traffic masterplan for the next decade, a new innovative start- up believes it has just the solution to stem rush-hour traffic flows. Nicholas Ponniah is the director of CorporateVIP, a company formed earlier this year which designs and sells web platforms to employers who want to motivate and incentiv- ize their staff. The platform allows employers – who include Betsson, MITA and Fimbank – to reward employees with discount perks for restaurants, hotels, Air Malta flights, retail outlets and other services. Now he is using the same technolo- gy to design a platform that would in- centivize people to carpool to work. "There are really three routes to tackle Malta's traffic problem – the government can impose more taxes, or it can keep investing heavily in infrastructure, or people can be en- couraged to use alternative means of transport," Ponniah told MaltaToday at his Gzira offices. "The first option will be politically unpopular and the second is ultimately unsustainable." Carpooling has long been bandied as a solution, but Ponniah's proposal is the first that offers a clear reward to people who opt to leave their cars at home when travelling to work. CorporateVIP is therefore design- ing an add-on feature to its platform, that will allow employers to reward carpoolers with points. Ponniah ex- plained that staff could be given a point every time they carpool to and from work, while carpooling drivers could be given two points to com- pensate for fuel costs. Once carpoolers accumulate a cer- tain number of points, they would then exchange them for rewards – such as vouchers and free meals – from businesses signed up to Cor- porateVIP. MaltaToday is informed that a number of high-profile public and private companies have already declared interest in adopting this scheme, which would be fully digi- tal – with drivers and passengers matching with each other according to their areas of residence. "It will be advantageous to car- pooling applications like Bumalift, because it will allow people to travel to work with their colleagues, getting to know them better along the way, rather than with complete strangers," Ponniah said. "Employers will fork out the costs for the rewards, but really they'll be a tiny percentage of their total profits. We need to start fostering the spirit of corporate social responsibility." He initially plans to launch the scheme with a couple of high-profile businesses and is confident that in- terest in it will snowball. "If it works, we could even show the results to the government and urge them to provide some sort of subsidy," he said. "After all, traffic is a national problem, with surveys constantly ranking it the number one public concern." Ponniah is also looking a step ahead towards a triannual lottery for car- poolers on a national level, with each acquired point equivalent to a ticket. These prizes will be luxurious, such as holidays abroad, and will be paid for by CorporateVIP. "I strongly believe that this could be a worthwhile project to add to the greater strategy of easing road congestion and help create a greener attitude to commuting to the work- place," he said. "It would be the gamification of carpooling – making it fun and personally rewarding to carpool to work." tdiacono@mediatoday.com.mt New start-up proposes model through which employers will reward their staff who carpool to work How CorporateVIP's reward-based platform for carpoolers could look PA says no to 7,000 square metre cemetery New policy banning new cemeteries in ODZ invoked to stop the renewal of a controversial permit issued in 2011 for the development of a church cemetery on virgin land falling within boundaries of the proposed White Rocks development