Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/715731
6 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 17 AUGUST 2016 News July sees whopping 370 hours of sunshine A sun-drenched July and higher sea temperatures gave locals and tourists plenty of time to soak up the sun and enjoy the beaches, according to the latest Malta In- ternational Airport data. The Met office added that, with a marginally lower cloud cover and 370.8 hours of sunshine re- corded, last month was brighter than expected. July started off with a combi- nation of 0.4mm of rainfall and over 11 hours of sunshine meas- ured on its first day. Furthermore, twenty-one days in July registered air tempera- tures that exceeded the climate norm of 31.6°C, with a peak of 34.6°C reached on the first week- end. However, according to data, this came nowhere near break- ing the highest temperature on record for July, which was expe- rienced in 1988 when the mer- cury shot up to 42.7°C. To the delight of swimmers who normally delay taking the plunge, the mean sea tempera- ture was 0.2°C higher than ex- pected for this time of the year, with the sea being particularly warm on Saturday July 15th when the temperature spiked at 27.2°C. Unfortunately, the warm seas could not be fully enjoyed as Force 8 (34 knots) gusts persist- ed throughout the weekend, at one point reaching a maximum speed of 39 knots. According to the data, gener- ally speaking, July was windier than usual, with the mean wind speed measuring 0.4 knots more than the climate norm of 6.8 knots. Some 370 hours of sunshine were recorded throughout July, making it longer than usual, with a mean sea temperature 0.2°C higher than usual New ITS complex to generate 800 daily car trips in Xghajra JAMES DEBONO THE proposed development of a 2,500 square metres ITS campus at Smart City, and a 12-storey, 135 room hotel, will generate 800 daily trips into the area while pro- viding parking spaces for 400 cars and 99 motorcycle spaces. The new ITS, which will be relo- cated from St Julians in view of a proposed high-rise development, is adjacent to a residential area in Xghajra and agricultural fields. Although the area is presently vacant, the Smart City permit issued in 2008 had foreseen the development of offices over six storeys in the same plot of land. Effectively the new development will raise building heights and increase the gross f loor area from 28,200m2 to 44,000m2. The orig- inal development was expected to generate 500 car trips, which were catered for in a car park for 1,030cars. The Environment and Resourc- es Authority is now asking the proponents of the project to pre- sent an update of the original En- vironmental Impact Assessment to take account of the increase in building heights and increase in traffic. In a screening report the ERA warns that the increase in traf- fic may result in a significant in- crease in particulate matter over and above the levels generated by the approved development. According to the report the pro- posal will see an increase in com- muters to and from the site, thus increasing traffic along Triq San Rokku. "Traffic congestion, especially when public activities or festivals are organised, is likely to be an is- sue," the report states. The proposal may also have an impact on the visual amenity of the site and its surroundings. ERA has asked for an update to the Smart City EIA to take account of the 12-storey hotel Armier to get PVC jetty JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority has approved a 12-metre long de- mountable jetty in the middle of the highly patronised Armier beach, against the advice of a case officer who felt that this would create conf licts between different users of the beach. The jetty was proposed by the Palm Beach resort. The 12m f loatable PVC jetty will be located at the beach to cater for 10 sea craft and will be temporarily set up between May and October. It will be set up in the middle of the bay within the designated boat lanes, so as not to impinge on the swimming zones. The Environment Directorate did not object to the proposal as long as the concrete moor was not placed on sea grasses. The Malta Tourism Author- ity had objected to the develop- ment, arguing that allocating an area for this activity would automatically decrease space in this already crowded beach. The Natural History Advisory Committee had also argued that this jetty would upset the natu- ral settings of the beach. But the Transport Authority, which had initially objected because the jetty was proposed on a launch- ing lane for boats, gave its go- ahead following changes made to plans. Ta' Frenc owner proposes souvenir shop at Hondoq JAMES DEBONO ANGELO Cefai, one of the owners of Ta' Frenc Real Estate, has presented a planning application to convert an existing agri- cultural store in Hondoq ir-Rummien into a souve- nir shop. The land in question is now fully owned by AAC Limited, a company owned by Ta' Frenc Real Estate Limited. While occupying the same area as the existing store (121m2) the applica- tion foresees a timber pav- ing around the new shop as well as the "restoration" of a rubble wall, which will surround the building. The agricultural store was granted an extension in 1994 when it had anoth- er owner. The permit was issued against the advice of the case officer. A separate application has also been presented to enlarge an existing ki- osk closer to the beach. The kiosk's permit was re- newed for another 10 years in April, stipulating that it can only be put up between 15 May and 15 October. Hondoq ir-Rummien could now have a souvenir shop