Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/712794
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 JULY 2016 9 JAMES DEBONO A small rural structure, mature trees and old rubble walls in the Piswella valley in Gharghur will make way for a rabbit farm over a 230 square metre footprint with a gigantic basement which increas- es the floor area of the building to 355 square metres. Other developments foreseen in the area include a 22 square me- tre loading bay and a 4.6 metre wide concrete pathway from the road to the farm and 1.2 metre high demarcation rubble walls. The site lies partly in a proposed level 3 area of ecological impor- tance and partly in a "site of sci- entific importance". Carmelo Vella, who is a regis- tered rabbit breeder, presently owns a rabbit farm operating in a palazzo in Zabbar, which was added to development bounda- ries in 2006, as well as adjacent ODZ land, which includes some unauthorised structures. The applicant now intends to restore the palazzo and re-use for "residential purposes" the rooms previously in use for breeding rabbits. By approving the devel- opment the Environment Plan- ning Commission disregarded the advice of the case officer who called for the refusal of a permit. The case officer expressed con- cern about the removal of exist- ing rubble walls at the proposed farm site, and the uprooting of mature trees. The report also ex- pressed doubts on the genuine- ness of the applicant, citing the "dubious layout of the new farm, the excessive size of the farm vis- à-vis the number of rabbits to be reared". Despite the doubts expressed by the case officer, the Agricul- tural Advisory Committee rec- ommended the relocation of the farm, after changes were made to the layout of the farm. Yet even these changes proved unsatisfac- tory for the case officer. This is because since the farm will have fewer than 50 does it will not have to register with the Veterinary Department. "Hence the approval of this application will entail a new farm building that is not considered to be of a commercial nature and would have no legal obligation to be registered," the case officer said. The report claims that a farm of such a size can accommodate three times as many rabbits and that the "genuine need for this agricultural development still has to be established." The case officer also noted that the site is not located within an identified intensive agricultural zone where animal husbandry ac- tivities normally take place. The case officer also insisted that be- fore considering the re-location, ODZ structures in Zabbar (adja- cent to the palazzo included in the 2006 extension of develop- ment boundaries) should be de- molished. The board justified the ap- proval of the ODZ rabbit farm by saying that the Zabbar palazzo, presently used by the breeder, merits protection and should be restored. The visual impact will be mitigated by the planting of 20 trees. The board also argued that the development is compliant with the rural policy approved in 2014 according to which permission may be granted for the relocation of livestock farms for a livestock farmer, provided a number of cri- teria are satisfied including "high quality rural design" and "respect for the rural context". The policy also says that the "authority will give preference to the re-use or conversion of existing disused or disused livestock farm buildings." The applicant claimed that it was not feasible for him to find another disused farm as recom- mended by the rural policy be- cause he did not own any other land parcel except the Gharghur site. A public deed stating that the owner will terminate his farming activity in Zabbar within three months of commencing opera- tions in Gharghur was signed. The deed also stipulates that "il- legal" ODZ structures in Zabbar (adjacent to the palazzo included in development zones in 2006) are demolished. News The Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change notifies all interested bidders that the following quotation has been published: Services of an Outside Caterer to participate in the International Green Week (Berlin) 2017 on behalf of MSDEC Closing date for submission of quotations: 19 th July 2016 at 10am Quotation documents are free of charge and are to be viewed/downloaded and submitted ONLY through the e-tenders website on http://etenders.gov.mt Balluta seaside house earmarked for five-storey development JAMES DEBONO PLANS to reconstruct a long- standing property on the edge of Balluta Bay and adjacent to the Barracuda restaurant will radi- cally change seaside views if the Planning Authority approves the five-storey development. The development will replace with an imposing modern, five- storey block, a staggered building that descends towards the sea be- hind a traditional townhouse. The building, proposed by property developer and hotelier Michael Stivala, adds a modern twist to the traditional landscape and will be characterised by ex- tended balconies connected by four diagonal beams. The façade of the old town- house next to the restaurant will be retained, but will have an ex- tra storey added to it, making it higher than the adjacent build- ings. The development will replace the existing two apartments in the townhouse with offices on the ground floor and the first floor and apartments on the sec- ond, third, fourth and fifth levels and penthouses together with overlying penthouses. The Planning Authority's newly formed Design Advisory Com- mittee has asked the developers to present photomontages from different viewpoints "to show how the proposal will integrate within its context". Conservationist NGO Din l-Art Helwa has called on the Superin- tendence for Cultural Heritage to review the demolition of the building, of which only the fa- çade will be retained. It also ex- pressed concern about the height of the building, noting that the site's location at the water's edge makes it a "very sensitive one". It called on the PA to ensure that the height of the building "should match the highest existing build- ing along that stretch." Rabbit farm in Piswella valley approved against experts' opinion From the back, two basement storeys and four overlying plus penthouse will be visible at sea Only one storey will be added to the front of 197, Tower Road