Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/806571
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 APRIL 2017 9 News gets raw deal as fishing defies Lands Authority eviction "On one hand the Lands Depart- ment is claiming under oath the lease had been terminated in 2015, and on the other, the co-operative is claiming the opposite," Mifsud said. "I have in my possession evidence, through receipts presented by the co-operative in court, stating that they paid the said lease until 2017. When I asked to get the receipts verified from the Lands Depart- ment, the response was that such receipts are null and void. So much so that the receipts presented in Court did not have any relation to the premises in question, that is, 150 Xatt tas-Sajjieda, Marsaxlokk." Mifsud is insisting that the onus of proof should be on the co-oper- ative, claiming that what was pre- sented to the law courts was false evidence. "This situation would not stand in democratic jurisdictions… Al- though this may seem as though it is a sweeping statement, the Lands Department have insisted it them- selves. The Lands Department prolonged the case due to collu- sive actions. Lastly, when I asked the Lands Department on why the Co-operative has not been evicted from the premises, I was left with- out an answer," his heartfelt letter to the PM reads. "I have approximately lost €1.5 million on the investment I made to the premises. The building is in a desolate state and all of the pending bills have been paid by me when I should not have. The premises were being let to the Co-operative €698.81 yearly whereas the prem- ises were further sub-let to me for €36,000 a year." In November 2016, MaltaToday reported that government slapped the same Ghaqda Koperattiva tas- Sajd with a judicial letter after it failed to pay a €95,407 loan granted in 2002. The co-operative is led by Paul Piscopo – who in 2013 was caught importing diesel illegally when his vessel was found carrying 40,000 litres of diesel, 8,000 litres of which were allegedly being brought into Malta illegally. But in his judicial protest against the Customs director-general, Piscopo argued that other vessels found carrying undeclared diesel were offered the opportunity to en- ter into an administrative arrange- ment to pay the customs due on the fuel but he was not. jbalzan@mediatoday.com.mt Angelic Mifsud said the situation would not stand in democratic countries "Why am I being evicted from a building which the cooperative had no right to sub-let in the first place? After all I have paid my dues and settled all the payments "The ambiguity has confused me. Who should I believe and trust? The lands department or the courts?" PUBLIC CONSULTATION BILLBOARDS AND ADVERTISEMENTS REGULATIONS The Planning Authority has published for public consultation a draft legal notice which sets out new planning parameters and criteria for outdoor advertising with particular emphasis on billboards. These proposed regulations primarily seek to ensure that the display of outdoor advertisements is of a high design standard that will not have an unacceptable visual impact or affect road safety conditions. The draft regulations include maps of roads where billboards may be located, subject to development permission. To ensure better enforcement, the regulations oblige that every permitted billboard structure will bear the Authority's reference number in a form that is permanently, clear and legibly displayed. To minimize traffic safety hazards, the regulations also spell out the technical conditions which billboards need to adhere to as identified by Transport Malta. The regulations exempt certain types of advertisements from needing planning permission. Such adverts include political advertisements, an advertisement for a village feast, an advertisement displayed on the façade of a retail store provided the size of the sign is not more than 0.5m 2 and an advertisement which forms an integral part of an aperture amongst other cases. The proposed regulations seek to find a balance between the commercial interest of operators and advertisers; the legitimate concerns to protect the environment and the requirement to blend this type of 'development' into its surroundings. The draft legal notice and the respective maps may be viewed on www.pa.org.mt/public-consultation. Individuals and organisations are invited to send their representation pertaining to this draft legal notice in writing through email address; advertisements.legalnotice@pa.org.mt by not later than 10th April 2017. www.pa.org.mt PLANNING AUTHORITY billboard eng.indd 1 23/03/2017 15:55:31 Angelic Mifsud says this invoice, presented in court as evidence that the co-operative has paid its rent to the Lands Authority, in fact carries the address of another fishing co- operative in Marsaxlokk