Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/745623
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2016 7 News GourmetToday every Saturday 16.05pm on TVM New Paceville tunnel to cost €32 million CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 This route is presently lined with bars, clubs, shops and hotels. The master plan describes this area as an "a very down-market area with a poor quality and cluttered streetscape environment". The master plan proposes "a radical landscape strategy" that "de-clutters the street and intro- duces tree planting, new surface materials and shared surface for pedestrians and vehicles". This will not only improve the quality of the street, but also the arrival experience into St George's Bay. Further expropriations are envisaged at the new Paceville Plaza (€7.7 million) and at the Mikiel Anton Vassalli Gateway (€7.6 million). According to the master plan the redevelopment of the adja- cent St George's Park site could offer the opportunity to open up the existing public space and cre- ate a larger, grander plaza, which will become the central public open space within Paceville. It could be a key multi-functional space for gathering, local events, festivals etc. In addition to in- creasing the size of the plaza, consideration needs to be given to an improved environment to create a public realm of the high- est quality. The costings also show that the new regional road tunnel will cost €32 million, the new drain- age system €3.5 million and the new power infrastructure €4 million which include a new dis- tribution centre costed at €2.9 million. The construction of a 900 square metre, new electric- ity distribution centre will be made necessary by the consider- able increase in energy demand in Paceville. Last week, residents of Pace- ville, St Julians, Swieqi and Pem- broke expressed their opposition to the proposed master plan for Paceville – and their frustration at the 'failure' of the St Julian's local council to take a clear stand on the issue. One of the most contentious issues discussed in the consul- tation meeting was the expro- priation of private residences and businesses which, according to the plan, stand to be handed over private companies for re- development, when expropria- tion usually involved property taken over by government or for public use. The meeting was called by the local council and Kamp Emer- genza Ambjent (KEA) and was attended by around 200 people, with many residents – Maltese and foreigners – expressing their disbelief and anguish at many of the proposals included in the master plan. YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt No electricity to Gnejna boathouses, says case officer report JAMES DEBONO THE provision of electricity to the irregularly developed boathouses at Gnejna is not justified and is in breach of the SPED (Strategic Plan for the Environment and Plan- ning), according to a case of- ficer report. The Planning Authority will take a decision on the pro- posed digging of a 200-metre trench from an existing car park to the boathouses on No- vember 18. Enemalta is pro- posing the development and it will be the Environment and Planning Commission which will take the final decision. The case officer f lagged five pending enforcement notices against "numerous boathous- es and beach rooms" in the area issued between 1997 and 2006. Moreover two applica- tions to regularise the devel- opment presented in 2004 were both rejected by the Au- thority. Therefore according to the case officer the devel- opment in the area cannot be considered to be "legitimate" as it is thus in breach of the SPED which requires develop- ment in rural areas to be "le- gitimate and necessary." The development is also be- ing opposed by the Environ- ment and Resources Author- ity, which insisted that the provision of electricity to "il- legal development" in a Natu- ra 2000 site is of "significant environmental concern." Photomontage of St George's Bay in Paceville