Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/699546
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 9 News plex in St Julian's. Between 2012 and 2014, United saw total revenue jump by 27% from €5.5 million to €7 million, fuelled by the opening of a new Debenhams outlet in Pao- la and the launch of the Warehouse brand. All other competitors performed at lower levels except for Zara, which leapfrogged its rivals with a 34% increase in sales from €6.9 mil- lion in 2012 to €9.2 million in 2014. The Zara franchise is operated by Paul Gauci's PG Holdings. "Stiff competition is prevalent in the local market, both from lo- cal retailers as well as from online sales," Charts said, but added that top international brands in fash- ion allow operators like United to "compete well for market share" in Malta. Online shopping remains one the major concerns of traders gener- ally: the Chamber of SMEs says 25% of its traders surveyed see the internet as the main reason for a drop in sales. Over €70 million is spent every year by Maltese consumers through PayPal alone and 39% is spent on cross-border transactions, more than double the EU average. One of St Julian's finest homes: The Cloisters is one of the few properties that gives this street on the edge of the Balluta area a particular character. But developers Bilom, who have interests in quarrying and construction, want to add an extra storey to the front and build a six-storey apartment block at the back of the house, as seen in the plans below. PA ignores refusal for 'NGO hub' JAMES DEBONO A planning application to replace a one-storey Marsaxlokk building outside development zones with a two-storey office for the Consul- tative Council of the South, was approved against the advice of the Planning Directorate. The Planning Authority's board justified overturning the advice of the case officer to reject the pro- ject by insisting that "the footprint of the existing building will not be increased." The case officer has argued that the development should be locat- ed in a town centre, not in a rural area. The office, whose council is chaired by Labour MP Silvio Parnis, will also be used as a hub for NGOs to meet. The surrounding area includes 635 square metres of agricultural land, which will be landscaped and partly covered by a wooden plat- form, trees and a fountain. While the PA board insisted that the footprint will not be increased, the case officer said the footprint of the building will increase from 175 sqm to 270 sqm. The development was deemed to be in breach of the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Develop- ment, and the Rural Policy and De- sign Guidelines, which limit devel- opment in rural areas to activities essential to agriculture. The project also fails to create the required car parking spaces, resulting in additional on-street parking which would negatively affect the area. A planning gain of €11,646 was imposed to compen- sate for this shortfall. Din l-Art Helwa had objected to the project, noting that a building for the use of NGOs is a good idea but not in the selected location. This one-storey building located outside development zones will become a two-storey HQ for the consultative committee for the south, as well as a hub for NGOs to organise public meetings.