Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/699546
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 12 THE Planning Authority has ap- proved a 900 square metre base- ment extension for a Siggiewi ODZ winery approved in 2012 which belongs to former university rector Juanito Camilleri. The proposed extension was flagged as being in breach of policy by the case officer and was dis- owned by Environment Planning Commission chairperson Elisa- beth Ellul, who opposed the exten- sion. Ellul was not present when the approval decision was taken on 8 June and declared her opposi- tion at a meeting during which the board imposed a condition through which Camilleri will have to plant three Gharghar trees on site and donate 100 indigenous trees which will be grown on a public site. Ellul declared that she would have voted against the proposal had she been present during the first sitting when the application was approved by two votes against one. The development of the two-sto- rey winery was originally approved in 2012. The new proposal extends the basement from the 253 square metres approved in 2008 to 860 square metres. The extended winery, located in the Ta' Betta estates in Ta' Bur il- Kbir, which cover 40,000 square metres of land, is set to produce 30,000 bottles of wine a year. The rural policy approved in 2014 clearly states that basements of wineries should be restricted to the footprint of the building. Din l-Art Helwa, which objected to the proposal, also pointed out that the current policy limits the maximum floor area of ODZ win- eries to 200 square metres. The case officer notes that the winery as approved in 2012 already exceeds this limit and that the pro- posed basement went beyond not just the existing buildings but also the approved paved area. The case officer also noted that a timber pergola and a wading pool constructed close to the agricul- tural building were not covered by a permit and had to be removed before any new permit could be is- sued. But the Agriculture Advisory Committee confirmed the genuine agricultural need for the new de- velopment. JAMES DEBONO ARCHITECT Ray Demicoli, the architect of the proposed Mriehel high-rise project, absented himself from a meeting of the Planning Authority's newly appointed de- sign panel of which he is a member, when the committee met to discuss the design quality of the project he designed. The three-strong panel commit- tee, reduced to just two members because of Demicoli's absence, has approved the project proposed by the Gasan and Tumas groups which will consist of four tower blocks – the North, South, East and West Towers – comprising 16, 18, 20 and 14 storeys respectively, sit- ting on top of five basement levels. Minutes of the meeting held on 11 May include a declaration by Demicoli that he was not present for any part of the discussion, nor did he make any comment about it "either before or after" the meeting. Demicoli was appointed to the new design advisory committee of three members, set up by the PA, to specifically advise the authority on the design quality of buildings and on the impact on their surround- ings. Demicoli was the leading archi- tect for various large projects, in- cluding Portomaso, also developed by the Tumas Group, and is cur- rently the architect for a 40-storey tower hotel in Tigné proposed by GAP Holdings. The only committee members present for the meeting discussing the Mriehel towers were Archi- tect David Mallia and art historian Charlene Vella. The committee concluded that the visual impact of the project is "not significant enough as to war- rant any concerns." It also described the design of the project as "fluid, dynamic and in- teresting." It also noted that the decision to put the highest tower furthest away from the road has reduced its im- pact on rural views. The committee referred to the "high quality design" of the pro- ject and the "harmonious manner" through which the different parts of the project are linked. The design advisory committee has recently recommended the de- velopment of a 38-storey tower at Town Square in Sliema, describing it as "one aspiring to achieve high quality development in the middle of Sliema." The Townsquare pro- ject is also proposed by the Gasan group. The architect is Martin Xuereb. JAMES DEBONO AN application to develop a fire- works factory in Wied ir-Raghab in Gharb that had already been rejected in 2012, may be ap- proved tomorrow when the Plan- ning Authority will reconsider the application according to the policy regulating the develop- ment of fireworks factories ap- proved in 2014. The new policy controversially allows the development of fire- works factories on "dry" agricul- tural land. A technical ad hoc committee appointed by the government to assess these applications has al- ready given its go-ahead. But the PA's own advisory panel on agri- culture has objected in principle to the construction of fireworks factories on agricultural land, ir- respective of whether the land is dry or irrigated. The development will consist of eight structures of different sizes over an area of 4,700 square metres. Objectors have pointed out that the existing road leading to the site was widened illegally and access to the site would require further road widening and more take up of land. In 2012 the application was re- jected because the site falls with- in an area of high landscape value and an area of ecological impor- tance and because the pathway to the site had been widened il- legally. The case officer report reveals that the provision of a suitable access would entail con- siderable environmental disrup- tion, including the demolition of rubble walls. The area is also des- ignated as a category 'A' valley. In December 2010 a consul- tative referendum was held in Gharb in which 60% of voters expressed themselves against the granting of new permits for fire- works factories. The referendum was called by the local council following a fireworks factory ex- plosion that killed six. Farmers who have spoken to MaltaToday expressed concern on their personal safety, recalling the tragedy of September 2010. They also noted that two fire- works factories already exist in Gharb while the site of the 2010 explosion remains in shambles. News Demicoli absents himself from PA deliberations on Mriehel high-rise New policy paves way for Gharb fireworks factory Former university rector gets ODZ winery extension Architect Ray Demicoli discussing the planned 'American University of Malta' with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat (left) The site for the fireworks factory