Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/782193
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 2017 12 News JAMES DEBONO THE Environment and Resourc- es Authority has joined the cho- rus of disapproval spearheaded by Front Harsien Hondoq's tire- less campaigner and PL coun- cillor Paul Buttigieg against the development of souvenir shop at Qala. Angelo Cefai, one of the own- ers of Ta' Frenc Real Estate, wants to convert an agricultural store in Hondoq ir-Rummien into a souvenir shop. The land is owned by AAC Ltd, which is owned by Ta' Frenc Real Estate. While occupying the same area as the existing store (121 square metres) the application foresees a timber paving around the new shop and "restoration" of a rub- ble wall, which will surround the building. The store was granted an ex- tension in 1994 when it had another owner, under a permit issued against the advice of the case officer. The ERA is now say- ing the proposal is objectionable from an environmental point of view. The Planning Authority has so far received 19 objections to the development. The ERA has now noted in a memo seen by MaltaToday that the store lies in a sensitive environmental context, and ex- pressed concern on introducing commercial uses and facilities like a WC, which would be in- compatible with the area. It added that a permit for the proposal would create a prece- dent for similar developments in the area. "Further interventions within this location would result in additional adverse environ- mental impacts including take up of undeveloped rural and natural land for commercial uses and in the further landscape de- terioration of the area." Illegal 'agricultural stores' get a massive makeover and the PA's green light ERA objects to Hondoq shop JAMES DEBONO THE regularization of large and small illegalities has become a daily occurrence at the Plan- ning Authority, but the scale of a 380-square metre site of illegally developed stores inside Rabat's Dwejra 'high landscape value' ar- ea, makes it amongst the largest to be regularized in recent years. The PA's environment and planning commission (EPC) reg- ularized three agricultural stores, which occupy a total 172 sqm footprint, and built before 1994; and a more recently constructed store of 245 sqm. Opposition came from the PA's case officer, who insisted the applicant in question, a farmer, was not entitled to such an enor- mous area of storage space. The PA's own rural policy guidelines specify that for holdings of over 46 tumuli, the maximum allow- able area for agricultural rooms cannot exceed 60 square metres. This means that the applicant, who owns 68 tumuli, was only entitled to this amount of stor- age space. And the Agricultural Advisory Committee also called on the PA to approve the sanctioning of the older structures but opposed the regularisation of the larger store. The case officer also noted that the stores had been fitted with steep apertures and painted, now making them resembles garages within an industrial or commer- cial area. Aerial photos show that the site underwent interventions for which the case officer could trace no permits. These included soil removal, site formalisation and construction of walls, which have led to the "deformation of the landscape". The EPC however approved the development after noting that the farmer's permitted resi- dence is "only 99 sqm" and this could have been extended to 200 square metres according to the new rural policy guidelines. "Therefore the post 1994 store which is adjacent to the dwelling could form part of this exten- sion," the EPC said. On its part, the Environment and Resources Authority gave no feedback on the application. Ar- chitect and Labour MP Charles Buhagiar presented the applica- tion on behalf of owner Bartolo- meo Gauci. ERA objects to dairy farm dwellings On the other hand, the ERA was vocal on two brand new dwell- ings in Sannat, where the rural policy guidelines allows dairy farmers to build dwellings within a 100m radius of their farm. The case officer recommended approval while acknowledging "one of the proposed residences lies beyond 100m from the live- stock farm." This deviation from policy was justified since it made more sense to locate the new residence along the road as proposed, since it would have a lesser visual im- pact. The two residences, have a footprint of 170 and 180 sqm re- spectively, come with basement levels and hard-paved backyards of 30 and 40 sqm respectively. The ERA strongly objected to the development, saying that there was no justification for the dwellings because the farm lies in close proximity to the devel- opment zone, where residential development can take place. It also said the proposal would result in an over-development that is incompatible with the ru- ral environment because of addi- tional land take-up and environ- mental degradation. And while such cases only allow one dwelling for each dairy farm owner, this case was a request for two residences through one de- velopment application. But the PA said the two farms were registered under the names of Krispin Parnis and Salvu Parnis, which meant the dwelling was allowable for each farmer. The applicants will have to enter into a planning obligation that they cannot sell the resi- dences without selling the ani- mal farms in conjunction.