Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/759501
6 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 7 DECEMBER 2016 News Paceville masterplan 'sham process fuelled by greed' – Din l-Art Helwa MIRIAM DALLI A masterplan should primarily address the needs of the entire community for the area, har- monizing them into one vision and also providing a positive ef- fect on the rest of the country, according to environment NGO Din l-Art Helwa. "While Din l-Art Helwa fa- vours the development of a masterplan, the draft Paceville masterplan has failed this basic test," it said. Din l-Art Helwa objected to the process that was followed in the development of the draft masterplan, arguing that trans- parency was totally absent. "What is supposed to be a 'public interest' process was ap- parently used to further direct financial interests. The submis- sions of nine developers were taken on board behind closed doors at the earliest stage of the drafting process while the interests of all the other stake- holders were ignored," it argued. Din l-Art Helwa insisted that the needs of the community and the common good were not taken into account, whilst the property of others was used as "a free resource" to facilitate the nine developments. The po- tential for regeneration of the streets and existing buildings of the area was hardly considered. Din l-Art Helwa questioned how Paceville was chosen for the masterplan exercise, at a cost footed by the taxpayer, "when more important sites in Malta are clearly in dire need of regeneration". "Good governance advocates that areas in need of regenera- tion are targeted for study be- fore addressing commercial private interests as seems to be the prime objective of this draft masterplan," it said. Calling for its immediate withdrawal, Din l-Art Helwa branded the masterplan as "an- other sham process fuelled by greed". It went on to call on the Au- ditor General and the Ombuds- man to probe the process fol- lowed by the government and the Planning Authority and determine whether the public interest has been adequately served and safeguarded. "The proposal for land recla- mation at the Portomaso site is entirely unjustified and should be eliminated altogether. This will degrade the land and ma- rine environment while increas- ing traffic and other infrastruc- tural pressure on the area. "With the amount of devel- opment being proposed for the Paceville area, the construction of further apartments or hotels through land reclamation can- not be justified." Substantial council payments not covered by fiscal receipts – NAO JAMES DEBONO FOR the third consecutive year the NAO report on local government flags instances where substantial amounts of expenditure incurred for council operations was not sup- ported by a valid fiscal receipt, even though the respective service pro- vider did not qualify for the exemp- tion under the pertinent legislation. Moreover, in a number of cases, "procurement was only supported by an unofficial piece of paper". In such instances, it could not be ascertained that the respective ex- penditure was actually incurred for the running of a council. At times, even the invoice submit- ted by the supplier lacked necessary details, such as details of the suppli- er, and identification of the client. The NAO insists that an invoice, as well as a fiscal receipt, be ob- tained for all the expenditure in- curred by a council. In cases where the supplier lacks adherence to VAT regulations, the council is to "discontinue procur- ing from such defaulter until the situation is rectified". But unlike in previous years the report does not include a break- down of each council's transactions without a fiscal receipt. Last year the NAO flagged pay- ments totalling nearly €340,000 paid to Malta's 68 local councils which were not accompanied by a proper fiscal receipt. This repre- sented a sharp decrease from the €1.6 million in payments not cov- ered by a fiscal receipt flagged by the auditor in the previous year. New bridge to link Tigné Point to Qui-Si-Sana JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority has ap- proved a pedestrian bridge linking the Tigné Plaza to the Qui-Si-Sana seafront. The bridge will pass over the garden battery. The design of the bridge is a contemporary one, consisting of three X shaped pillars aimed at providing structural support to the overlying horizontally laid steel beams. The Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage approved the devel- opment stating that this will have no impact on the appearance of the historical battery. The bridge's decking will be built in wood. The aim of the bridge is that of facilitating pedestrian access within the Tigne shopping and residential complex. The Midi consortium, formed to develop Tigné and Manoel Is- land, presented an application to restore the garden battery in July. Built between Fort Sliema and the adjacent Fort Tigné, the Garden Battery consists of three gun em- placements with a series of under- ground barracks. The battery fell in disuse by the late 19th century and was subsequently buried with a military barrack being con- structed on top of it. The battery was once again re- discovered during construction works for the Tigné Point devel- opment and the developers have recently presented restoration plans. Gozo hotel illegalities ignored by Planning Authority JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority has ig- nored the Environment and Re- sources Authority which had warned against the entrenched 'build now, sanction later' mental- ity with regard to the illegal devel- opment of a pool in Gozo. The PA has issued a permit to regularise planning irregularities deviating from a permit issued in 1969 to a roadside inn called the Arches in Triq il-Hammiet in Vic- toria, and for its transformation into a boutique hotel. In a memo issued in July the En- vironment and Resources Author- ity has come out strongly against sanctioning the irregularities, consisting of a basement and a pool. Aerial photos on the authority's website show that the pool was developed illegally between 2008 and 2012. Moreover, according to the ERA a comparison of photos taken in 1978 and 2013 shows that the site "has been subjected to interven- tions of significant environmental concerns." The Environment and Resources Authority had lashed out against "the malpractice of first carry- ing out development within ODZ (outside development zone) with- out the required permits and sub- sequently expecting the regula- tory authorities to retroactively sanction a fait accompli." The ERA has also described the irregular pool as incompatible with the rural characteristics of the area and as a "flagrant exam- ple" of disregard for environmen- tal considerations. According to the ERA the ap- proval of this application would create an "undesirable precedent for similar future developments in the area." An enforcement order dating back to 2005 had been issued against the irregular basement. The case officer who recom- mended approval insisted that the swimming pool respects the ru- ral context and its deck does not exceed the 75 square metre limit set in policy guidelines for ODZ development. The new building, which will replace the existing one, will not exceed the total area of the original building as dictated by planning policies. The owners have committed themselves to remove a number of demountable tents, which were also developed irregularly. The 1969 permit had specified that the inn "should not be higher than the level of the road."