Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/712794
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 JULY 2016 8 News Operational Programme I – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 "Fostering a competitive and sustainable economy to meet our challenges" Advert part-financed by the European Regional and Development Fund Co-financing rate: Public Eligible (80% European Union; 20% National Funds) ANNOUNCEMENT – 13 th July 2016 Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes Operational Programme I – Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 Fostering a competitive and sustainable economy to meet our challenges The Measures and Support Division within the Ministry for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto, designated by the Managing Authority as the Intermediate Body responsible for administering aid schemes for enterprises under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the 2014 – 2020 programming period, would like to announce the following calls: • Call 1 – SME Growth Grant Scheme Priority Axis 3 – 'Enhancing Malta's competitiveness through investment in SMEs' Investment Priority (IP) 3d – Supporting the capacity of SMEs to grow in regional, national and international markets, and to engage in innovation processes. • Call 1 – Start-up Investment Grant Scheme Priority Axis 3 – 'Enhancing Malta's competitiveness through investment in SMEs' Investment Priority (IP) 3a – Promoting entrepreneurship in particular by facilitating the economic exploitation of new ideas and fostering the creation of new firms, including through business incubators. These calls will close on Friday, 30 th September 2016 at noon. Information sessions will be organised for prospective applicants. Dates and venues will be notified in the coming days. Further information on these calls including the respective Guidance Notes and the Guidelines for Implementation, as well as on the information sessions may be obtained from https://businessenhance.gov.mt. Illegal wall destabilizing slope gets 'second hearing' thanks to PA appeals tribunal JAMES DEBONO FOR the second time the Plan- ning Authority is to decide whether an illegal wall by the Gozo villa formerly belonging to the late Agatha Barbara, can be regularized: its owners say the wall stabilized the clay slope and saves the villa from structural damage, but the PA case officer says it's just an extension of a back-garden. In 2015 the wall's sanctioning was turned down by the PA, but that decision has now been over- turned by the PA's review tribu- nal. The wall is set on Ghammar Hill, just opposite the Ta' Pinu church. The case officer insists that the excavation of the clay slope to build the wall itself "had a desta- bilizing effect on the clay of the area". The illegal works also com- prised the expansion of the villa's back garden through excavations into the clay slope. Not only did these works result in a major overspill of construction mate- rial onto surrounding agricultur- al land, but also destabilized the clay slope. The applicants deny the re- moval of any clay, and argue that the wall is clad in rubble so as to blend in with the surrounding landscape. "An amount of mate- rial was set aside for the recon- struction of the back wall which was already present on site. This same material would have been placed back in its original posi- tion after completion of the wall." While the PA's review tribunal confirmed the structural damage to the villa, and reprimanded the owners for carrying out works without a permit, it has conclud- ed that the major issue was that of mitigating the visual impact of the works and therefore asked the PA to reconsider the applica- tion. The works were carried out in 2008, six years after the late President Agatha Barbara passed away. Residents from the nearby village of Ghasri had contacted MaltaToday to report trucks and tractors levelling the countryside surrounding the villa. The PA had back then reacted by issuing an enforcement order against the new development. Subsequently the owners tried to legalise the works, claiming the wall was necessary to re- sist pressure from the clay slope threatening the stability of Villa Barbara. But a site inspection revealed that it was the illegal works that comprised the slope. Subsequently an application was presented aimed at regularising the illegal works and to reinstate the area with soil to its "original levels". JAMES DEBONO THE Environment Resources Author- ity is objecting to the development of a huge warehouse in an ecologically sensi- tive area at the valley side of Wied il-Hanaq in Xewkija, proposed by Rapa Construc- tion Limited, a com- pany owned by Teddy Rapa. The proposal is to develop over 3,230m2 of land with the pro- posed warehouse oc- cupying 1,500m2 and an open yard with concrete surface occupying 1,730m2 of land. The developer wants to de- molish an illegally developed 1,405m2 building with an open yard built over 2,770m2. The concrete floored yard was also developed illegally but regular- ised in 2009. The area is proposed for scheduling as an area of eco- logical importance and the ERA is objecting to the devel- opment on the ground that industrial development is in- compatible with the rural en- vironment. "Urban and industrial devel- opment should be restricted to areas where such land use has already been established," it argued. According to ERA the new building will result in the addi- tional take-up of undeveloped land and the loss of the tradi- tional physical characteristics. It also waned warns that the proposal could result in fur- ther pressures for similar de- velopment in the countryside, noting that development has already sprawled further than the area approved in 2009. Although the proposal in- cludes the removal of some of the illegalities on site, ERA contends that "illegal works carried out in the past should not serve as a precedent for the new development". The Agricultural Advisory Committee is also objecting to the project, insisting that in- dustrial development is incom- patible with an agricultural area. Huge warehouse proposed to replace countryside illegalities The area is proposed for scheduling as an area of ecological importance