Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/709569
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 31 JULY 2016 6 News JAMES DEBONO BRITTANIA flats, one of the last iconic standalone buildings on Tower Road op- posite the Fond Ghadir promenade, could see the erection of five new storeys and a penthouse level on top of it. The additional storeys, which will raise its height to nine storeys, will accommodate five new apartments and a penthouse that will only cover a part of the block, creating a blank party wall on the other half of the building near the Mint coffee shop. The back of the development fronts the narrow Trejqet Luzju, characterised by six- floor and three-storey developments, and Amery Street, where the opposite building already reaches eight floors. The proposed development conforms to building heights set out in the local plan but will also change another part of Sliema's streetscape. Brittania Flats is one of the few traditional buildings untouched by the transforma- tion of Tower Road in the 1980s and early 1990s, when traditional townhouses were knocked down to make way for eight storey tower blocks. A planning policy approved last year paved the way for further development along the Sliema promenade: a number of eight-storey apartments became eligible for an extra storey following the approval of a policy which translates the maximum al- lowable storeys laid out in a 2006 local plan, into a specific height in metres. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Brittania flats is one of the few traditional buildings untouched by the transformation of Tower Road. PHOTO: Raphel Farrugia Five new storeys proposed on last 'old' building in Tower Road Labour 'will not shelve' euthanasia JURGEN BALZAN THE Labour Party has denied that it will be proposing the le- galisation of euthanasia in its electoral programme but said the issue would not be put on the backburner. ALS sufferer Joe Magro, who has been actively campaigning for the introduction of euthana- sia, told MaltaToday that senior ministers told him that if no wide consensus is reached in this leg- islature, then euthanasia would be included in Labour's electoral programme. Magro will be meeting Labour's parliamentary group on 11 Au- gust after the party accepted his request. Asked whether a vote on the matter will be taken within the parliamentary group, a party spokesperson said "the issue is not in the government's pro- gramme and is frankly one of conscience." However, the spokesperson added that although the issue was not brought up by Labour MPs, it "will not be shelved by MPs." Yet, the party has neither de- nied nor confirmed whether a law will be proposed in parlia- ment. The debate on euthanasia in- tensified following an interview carried by MaltaToday with Ma- gro in February. Calling for the introduction of euthanasia he said: "I will live as long as I can but once it gets to a point where I cannot live life in dignity I will commit suicide." Magro was diagnosed a year ago with ALS, the deadly neuro- degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, and has since been unable to perform routine tasks such as shaving or writing. Last week, Magro's wife launched an online petition in which she is calling on legislators to introduce euthanasia. "Both myself and our children, as well as other family members of ours, understand Joe, because no one would like to end up in a similar situation," Marlene Ma- gro wrote in the petition. "If [Joe commits suicide], I will have a hard time living with the knowl- edge that he could have lived longer with everyone around him and that his death would have taken place in dignity and within his family setting. "With the introduction of a law on assisted death, Joe will be able to live peacefully for a while longer." Over 1,200 signatures have been collected in a matter of days and former Labour prime minister and current MEP Alfred Sant has also supported the call. A MaltaToday survey carried out in March showed that 53% of the general population agrees with euthanasia, in cases involv- ing people suffering pain from a terminal illness. Although Labour denies it will propose euthanasia in its electoral programme, the controversial issue 'will not be shelved'