Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/695268
6 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2016 News Two restaurants and pool will create only 14 parking spaces JAMES DEBONO TWO new restaurants occupy- ing 275 square metres, a pool and a sundeck area will only create a shortfall of 14 parking spaces on the Strand in Gzira, a case of- ficer report claims. The develop- ment is being proposed on 2,300 square metres of reclaimed land. But the same report reveals that "the parking requirement gener- ated by the clients of both restau- rants has not been included since the proposal is being considered as an additional service to guests of the hotels in the area". In this way the €16,374 contri- butions to the PA's Urban Im- provement Fund – a compensa- tory mechanism for shortfalls in parking spaces – is based only on the 14 parking spaces used by the staff of both restaurants. The project is being proposed by a consortium, which includes the Bay View, Kennedy Nova, the Strand and the Waterfront hotels. A two-metre passage way will be constructed around the pool deck to ensure public access to the coast, which is presently ac- cessible through a much wider promenade. This corridor will also provide access to local fish- ermen and boat owners. The case officer claims that the project still protects the "openness of the promenade used by the public," who will still be able to enjoy the views of Valletta and Manoel Is- land. A decision on the project will be taken tomorrow on the same day during which the PA will be deciding on a 38-storey block in Sliema. Transport Malta is not in a po- sition to provide an alternative mooring area for boats presently moored at the Gzira front for the duration of the project. TM will "later collaborate with the developer" to construct or- ganised mooring facilities on the new foreshore once the project is completed. The Planning Authority will be taking a decision on the project tomorrow San Gwann business takes a hit after unexpected traffic diversion San Gwann businesses complain that they were not consulted or informed about new traffic diversions in Vjal ir-Rihan TIM DIACONO EMPLOYEES of businesses in San Gwann have admitted that their sales have taken a hit after traf- fic diversions were implemented without notice at Vjal ir-Rihan over the weekend. They have also complained that they weren't consulted at all about the diversion – which has blocked vehicles from driving into the centre of San Gwann via the roundabout that forks to San Gwann industrial estate, or to the church – and forced motorists to take a detour around the block in- stead. Barriers have been erected at the roundabout exit, after a YouTube video of cars disregarding the signage and passing through the roundabout regardless went viral. It has been planned as a tem- porary diversion, to brace San Gwann for the inf lux of cars that are set to pass through it during the works on the Kappara Junc- tion project. "We are usually really busy at the weekend, but our sales were lower this time round," corner store worker Maria Abela admit- ted to MaltaToday. "Moreover, we have a serious parking problem, and we don't even have a loading bay, which means that trucks can- not stop outside the shop. "Nobody had consulted or even advised us about the diversion be- forehand. Everything took place at night and we just found the di- version in place when we woke up. Several clients at our shop have complained about how nobody had told them anything about the traffic intentions." Similarly, hardware store em- ployee Matthew Calleja admit- ted that sales took a dive over the weekend. "The diversions certainly had a role to play, because the roads have been turned around and there is now less parking in the area; we'll have to wait and see whether it will have a long-term effect," he said. "We had no idea about the planned works and no- body had told us anything about it. We just saw them setting up and working here last weekend and we didn't even know what was going on." Marine store owner Alexander d'Agata said that the diversion could ease traffic f lows in the typ- ically congested street but added he was disappointed at the lack of consultation with local busi- nesses. "Although the diversion has slightly eased traffic f lows, it has created a bottleneck in the side street [Triq R. Caruana Dingli] where cars are now being divert- ed into. My biggest disapproval though is the lack of consultation with people who work in the area; we could have given input on how to improve the diversion." Their arguments were echoed by a number of other workers in the vicinity who spoke to MaltaToday but who refused to go public with their complaints. Opposition MP Kristy Debono last night lashed out at the gov- ernment for failing to consult or inform San Gwann residents and businesses, or the local council. "The government arrogant- ly bulldozed over everyone as though they didn't even exist," she said in Parliament. "It likes telling us about how pro-business it is, so how could it have not realized the enormous impact that the diver- sion would have on San Gwann businesses?" She argued that bus drivers weren't even informed about the diversion, and said that she saw a driver have to stop in the road to ask a Transport Malta marshal were he could pass from. She also warned that Triq Salvu Busuttil, the side street into which vehicles are now being diverted, has turned overnight from a resi- dential road into a traffic-con- gested one. "This is a mirror image of the problems caused by recent traffic deviations in Ta' Xbiex," Debono told MaltaToday. "It is crystal clear that whoever designed the diversions was not familiar with the locality." 'Transport Malta had originally proposed felling trees' San Gwann mayor Etienne Bonello Dupuis said that the local council had pushed for the cur- rent diversion, after hearing of Transport Malta's original plans to establish a T-junction in front of Triq Salvu Busuttil, removing a traffic island with three trees in the process. "I have no problem bashing Transport Malta when they de- serve to be bashed, but they don't deserve it in this case," he told MaltaToday. "The chaos over the weekend was due to drivers ignor- ing the signs and the traffic mark- ings. If Transport Malta erect the signs, then it's not their fault if people ignore them." Indeed, he said that vehicles can now exit more freely from Triq Caruana Dingli and that the di- version should become perma- nent if it proves effective in coun- tering traffic f lows. Similarly, Transport Malta said that the diversion would ease traf- fic f lows in the usually congested area. "The benefits will be a better traffic f low at the node between Triq Caruana Dingli and Vjal ir- Rihan and the elimination of long traffic queues on Triq Caruana Dingli which would otherwise have to wait to find gaps to exit onto Vjal ir-Rihan," a TM spokes- person told MaltaToday. "Viewed holistically and once fully operational, spreading across the neighbouring localities of Gzira, Msida, Swieqi, Sliema, Gharghur, Naxxar, San Gwann and parts of Birkirkara, the en- tire traffic management scheme is expected to ease traffic f lows generally associated with infra- structural projects of this size and magnitude." tdiacono@mediatoday.com.mt