MaltaToday previous editions

MT 15 February 2017

Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/786708

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 6 of 23

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2017 News 7 YANNICK PACE A planning application submit- ted by the wife of Nationalist MP Toni Bezzina, for the con- struction of a dwelling on ODZ land was another example of hypocrisy by the PN, Labour MP Franco Mercieca said yes- terday. "They preach one thing and do the other," Mercieca told journalists. "While he was writing the PN's environment policy docu- ment, Bezzina was filing an ap- plication, in his wife's name, for what he said was the regenera- tion of two rooms." With a copy of what he said were the proposed plans for Bezzina's villa in hand, Mercie- ca pointed out that the plans in- cluded a wine cellar, a garage, a study as well as three bedrooms. "The PN was clear in its docu- ment, ODZ must remain ODZ," he said, adding that the plans clearly show that this was not going to be a simple regenera- tion. Tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis said that the fact that Bezzina said in his state- ment that he was withdrawing the application for political reasons, was unacceptable and showed that Simon Busuttil is a "weak leader". He said both Simon Busut- til and Beppe Fenech Adami have agreed that the applica- tion was withdrawn on political grounds, and not to safeguard the environment. "Simon Bu- suttil said that the most impor- tant factor is the legality but in politics it is not acceptable for a person who writes a document on the environment to simul- taneously submit an applica- tion that goes against what he is writing," Zammit Lewis said. Moreover, he described a statement issued by Bezzina on Sunday as an embarrassment. "He said he wanted to restore two room but it is clearly a villa, if not a complex," he said. Questioned by journalists on how he could question Busut- til's leadership when the gov- ernment had appeared to do nothing in the face of the Pan- ama Papers scandal, Zammit Lewis insisted that the Prime Minister had taken action by reshuff ling the cabinet, adding that while some did not agree with the move, it still consti- tuted action. way for Toni Bezzina's ODZ dwelling involving the reconstruction of countryside ruins, mostly per- mitted by Policy 6.2.C. It was this policy that was in- voked to issue a permit for the demolition of three roof less structures to be converted into a 165 m2 villa with a swimming pool, outside development zones in Rabat's Landrijiet. The PA has also permitted the demolition of a number of di- lapidated rooms – occupying a footprint of 122 square me- tres – to make space for a 200 square metre villa in Mgarr. The Planning Authority also is- sued a permit for the rebuilding of a two-storey dwelling set over a footprint of 141 square metres of land instead of a pile of rubble in Sqaq il-Fata, lying outside the development boundaries in Zab- bar. In all these three cases the owners had to submit proof of past residence, consisting of ref- erences to addresses in old elec- toral registers. Labour candidate Yana Mintoff was also granted a permit to change a disused dilap- idated building in to a dwelling in Xrobb l-Ghagin. The policy enables any owner o an ODZ dwelling to apply for a 75 m2 swimming pool and deck area. If this is located withing the boundary of the building owners can apply through the summery procedure which involves very little scrutiny. Moreover in cases where it is impossible to apply for a resi- dence others are applying for stables, agricultural stores and other developments permitted by the policy. This is why cranes have now become a more common occur- rence in the deep heart of the countryside in the past few years. The site of the proposed development By depicting Bezzina's application as a national scandal, the Labour media has unknowingly thrown the spotlight on the polices which allow the construction of villas in the countryside Labour accuses PN of hypocrisy over Bezzina Labour MP Franco Mercieca (left) with tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis holding up the plans of Toni Bezzina's villa

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of MaltaToday previous editions - MT 15 February 2017