Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/737583
8 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2016 News Wied Moqbol saved again by law courts Aiding the Vulnerable and the Disadvantaged You can be who we are looking for 197, Office B, Triq il-Marina, Pieta Malta. T: (+356) 2703 6602 | 2707 5555 | 2707 5556 Positive Supported Employment Program SE Job Coaches The Program's ever-increasing registered monthly successes requires more dedicated job coaches to oversee and liaise between our employees and their employers. Suitable candidates are being shortlisted to be engaged as full time and part time job coaches. Candidates must have excellent communication skills (written and verbal); fluent in Maltese and English; ready to attend compulsory in-house courses on Supported Employment and work in a dynamic team. Job Coaches should have a valid driving license and drive one's own vehicle during work hours. Administrative Assistant We are also looking for an energetic, bubbly and hard working administrative assistant to aid and assist in our Pieta' office. Candidates should have excellent computer knowledge related to office work, including Microsoft Word, Excel and other related programs, including power point presentations. Good communication skills and the ability to work in a team a must. Qualifications in Maths, English, Maltese and three other subjects are also required. In both instances, the desire and vocation to aid and assist the vulnerable and disadvantaged must be a pre-requisite for all candidates. An attractive remuneration package will be offered to suitable candidates, in accordance with one's experience and qualifications. Please send your detailed CV, including photostat copies of certificates and photo to: info@ma4se.org or JAMES DEBONO COURT has turned down a legal case presented by Professor Ian Refalo in an attempt by quarry owner Charles Fenech to open a brand new quarry at Wied Mo- qbol in Zurrieq. The Planning Authority (PA) had refused the new quarry ap- plication in 2005 because of a local plan policy, which protects agricultural land in the area. But in December 2014 the PA's Environment and Review Tri- bunal surprisingly overturned the decision and granted a new quarry permit. The site at Wied Moqbol in Zurrieq is designated by the South Malta Local Plan as an ag- ricultural area. The policy clearly states: "ME- PA will continue to protect ag- ricultural land from all types of inappropriate development. Within agricultural areas, as in- dicated on the relevant Environ- mental Constraints Maps, only buildings, structures and uses essential to the needs of agricul- ture will be permitted". Moreo- ver the nearby Wied Moqbol is designated as a Special Area of Conservation of International Importance under the Natura 2000 programme in view of the importance of the species as well as archaeological remains found there. The Courts of Justice had con- sequently rebuked the same permit in May 2015 following a case filed by residents, by clearly stating that "instead of applying policy as it is obliged to do, or at most referring to other policies which may be adopted, the tribu- nal chose to base its decision on other considerations, such as the value of agriculture." The court argued that a tribu- nal could not use its arbitrary power to change the designa- tion of a site included in the local plan. The applicant than attempted to revoke this Court decision by submitting a new court case. Refalo argued when overturn- ing the Appeals Tribunal's deci- sion that the court had applied the wrong law as it did not base itself on the law regulating quar- ry development and the Struc- ture Plan policy which allowed urban development in rural areas in cases where an Environment Impact Assessment is presented. However Mr Justice Anthony Ellul rejected this argument in- sisting that the PA was always right to recommend refusal based on the South Malta local plan policy. A final decision will now be take by the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal. The tribunal will now have to abide to the court sentence according to which the permit has to be assessed according to the local plan policy which only allows agricultural development in this area. The Wied Moqbol saga The original application, first turned down in 2005, was for the relocation of a quarry from Hagar Qim to Wied Moqbol in Hal Far. The appeal against this deci- sion by Charles Fenech was also rejected by an appeals board in 2009, but the sentence was over- turned by the law courts for pro- cedural reasons. The law courts did not call for the approval of the permit but ac- cepted Fenech's appeal because in its 2009 decision the appeals board had not given the develop- ers the opportunity to present their views on the application of the policy which justified the re- fusal of the permit. In its new decision, the new ap- peals tribunal recognised that the development would result in the "loss of rural characteristics" like rubble walls and trees. But it also concluded that the impact on agriculture was temporary as the quarry can be rehabilitated after the stone resource is ex- hausted. It also observed that the devel- opment is compensated by the rehabilitation of quarries in the vicinity of the Hagar Qim monu- ments. "This means that the de- velopment will not result in the loss of agricultural land," the tri- bunal argued. The tribunal which issued the controversial permit is com- posed of former Labour candi- date and lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace, Freeport chairman and private architect Robert Sarsero and planner Martin Saliba. Former Msida mayor Clifton Grima elected to Parliament YANNICK PACE FORMER Msida mayor Clifton Grima has been elected as a new Labour MP, replacing former en- vironment minister Leo Brincat who has been appointed to the European Court of Auditors. In comments to MaltaToday upon being elected, Grima said "politicians should be close to the people and serve the people," adding that he will strive to push for- ward ambitious Labour's agenda to widen the middle class and achieve greater economic growth. Vying for the seat were also Nikita Zammit Alamango, Manuel Micallef and Si- mon Saliba. The causal election took place yesterday morning at the Naxxar counting hall and lasted just over an hour. Counting agents started sifting through voting documents from the last general election at 9am. Grima was always the frontrun- ner, having amassed 1,646 first count votes back in 2013. He won his seat after reaching the quota of 1,877 votes in the first count. A number of party agents, rep- resenting each of the candidates, were present to oversee the pro- cess. Also pre- sent at the Naxxar counting hall were AD chairman Arnold Cas- sola and vice-chair- man Carmel Cacopardo. Clifton Grima won the casual election to join the Labour group in Parliament PN's pre-budget proposals based on 'economy for the people' MATTHEW AGIUS OPPOSITION leader Simon Bu- suttil yesterday launched the PN's pre-budget document "Let's All Succeed Together." Speaking at a meeting for repre- sentatives of constituted bodies, Busuttil said he saw "a great syn- ergy between what you are pro- posing and what we are including in the documents." Busuttil ex- plained that the document could be summed up into one phrase: "economy for the people." "Wealth must be created but must also be distributed fairly," the PN leader said. This is the third policy docu- ment released by the opposition and Busuttil assured the meeting that there were many more in the pipeline. The document includes an anal- ysis of the present situation, to- gether with 91 proposals, amongst them, a cut in electricity tariffs. There was room for reduction, thanks to the power station built by the PN and other investments, as well as the "tremendous reduc- tion in oil prices that we believe has not been passed on to the peo- ple," Busuttil said. The expenditure on the public service would be cut, he said, but jobs would not be cut. "At no point are we suggesting that the PN will reduce the num- ber of government workers. What we are saying is that the number had gradually reduced over the years by not replacing those who left. This trend was reversed by the PL, "apart from the hundreds of appointees on positions of trust." Public expenditure has in- creased to an exaggerated extent, Busuttil said. "To spend €4 mil- lion to buy half a property in Val- letta... I would prefer to spend it on offering chemotherapy rather than have persons resort to beg- ging from the Community Chest Fund." Traffic is no longer just an in- convenience, but a challenge to the economic progress of the na- tion, stated the PN leader. "The time has come for a public trans- port system that is so efficient that people will be prepared to switch from using their car to using pub- lic transport." He observed with satisfaction the government's plans to build a tunnel to Gozo and implement an overland tram system, which he said, had already been proposed by the PN. He said that social justice had been put aside and needed to be brought to the fore again. On the increase in rent for social hous- ing, calling it a "tax on poverty," he pledged to reverse it if elected. "We want to offer the best gov- ernment for our nation." PN leader Simon Busuttil (centre) said the pre-budget document outlines an "economy for the people"