Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/732282
4 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2016 News GourmetToday every Saturday 16.05pm on TVM ERA objects to energy substation for illegal Gnejna boathouses JAMES DEBONO THE provision of electricity ser- vices by Enemalta to "illegal de- velopment" – referring mainly to boathouses in Gnejna – in a Natura 2000 site is of significant environ- mental concern according to the Environment and Resources Au- thority. "The impact of such ille- gal development on the Natura 2000 site is of significant concern from an environ- mental point of view and there- fore ERA objects in principle to an application mainly intended to serve utility services to these properties," a memo sent to the Planning Authority by ERA states. Din l-Art Helwa has also objected to the provision of electricity to the illegal boathouses, arguing that the provision of lighting would create "unrestricted light and noise pollu- tion" and "gives further comfort and permanency to illegal structures". Nature Trust is also objecting be- cause the proposed trench would cut across protected sand dunes. The application presented by En- emalta consists in the development of a 200-metre trench connecting an electricity feeder located in an existing car park to "nearby proper- ties" at Gnejna. The properties in question are boathouses carved in the rock face which are at the receiving end of various planning enforcement or- ders issued over the past decades, including one covering the whole area issued in 2007. The enforcement orders issued against the Commissioner of Lands and various landowners in the area are still awaiting action by the Plan- ning Authority. A spokesperson for Enemalta Cor- poration confirmed that the plan- ning application was submit- ted "to consolidate the existing electricity in- frastructure in this area of Mgarr" and that the proposed development is required "for addi- tional services the company is being requested to provide in the area." But when asked which properties would be ben- efitting from the development, Enemalta replied that it does not "divulge information about specific customers or applicants requesting its services" and that it "provides electricity services which fulfill the necessary requirements" found in application forms. One of the requirements men- tioned in the application forms is a compliance certificate issued by the Planning Authority. The boathouses were built ille- gally by digging through the soft globigerina limestone or excavating the clay slopes on the sides of the headland. Most of the boathouses are used by part-time fishermen to store fishing equipment. Marsa car bomb: device detonated by mobile phone CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 All four south-bound lanes, as well as roads leading to the area, were closed as members of the bomb disposal unit scoured the area for evidence. Forensic experts and members of the bomb disposal unit spent hours analysing the scene of the blast, after also deploying a bomb disposal robot. The victim underwent surgery on that same night and both his legs were amputated beneath the knee. A passenger in the Transit, a 45-year-old man from Naxxar and a director of Azzopardi Fisheries, suffered slight injuries. The blast from the explosion also shattered the windscreen of a passing Opel Zafira, injuring its driver. Both men have been re- leased from hospital. The explosion was a loud one, as the van continued driving some 100 metres before crashing into a streetlight post. Witnesses said they heard a loud bang moments before the van crashed. The interior of the van was com- pletely destroyed. Sources close to the investiga- tion said they were looking at different avenues, although there appears to be no connection to a similar incident earlier this year that claimed the life of 56-year- old fisherman Martin Cachia. Cachia was killed in January when explosives placed at the back of an Alpha Romeo went off. The blast forced the car to crash into a wall on the Marsa bypass. The scene after the blast detonated by mobile phone, with the victim brought out from his van. Inset: AFM personnel scouring the area for clues