Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/849592
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 JULY 2017 News JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Directorate has shot down a proposal to allow tourism and commercial develop- ment on land in Dawret il-Gudja, presented by the owners of a "res- taurant" which according to the Planning Authority is operating without the necessary permits. The owners claim the building is only used for private functions. But the case officer report con- firms that "the government, which is the owner of the site, gave its no objection" to the proposal. OSA Limited, which owns the "restaurant", presented a planning control application to establish the parameters for development on the 12,000 sq.m Gudja site that had been included in the notori- ous 2006 extension of develop- ment boundaries. The report confirms that the existing bar and restaurant have been built "without the necessary planning permissions." Indeed the case officer contends that "a planning control applica- tion cannot be used as a sanction- ing tool" to regularise planning irregularities. The site is already the subject of an enforcement notice issued in August 2013 against "rooms, pavings, lofts, wooden structures, stores, oven structure" and "the use of the premises as bar and res- taurant without a permit." The case officer concluded that the proposal goes against the criteria established in the 2006 rationalisation, which stipulates that only development compatible with the zoning set in the local plan can be allowed. In this case the area is zoned as "residential." The developers have argued that the proposal would gener- ate enough income to ensure that open spaces are maintained in a professional way. When contacted last year, owner Anton Scicluna defended the le- gality of the use of his farmhouse for what he calls "private func- tions", insisting that it is not a res- taurant. He also insisted that he was fol- lowing existing procedures by seeking the Land Department's consent. Scicluna's plans envision a mixed-use commercial building, which includes "touristic oriented activities" over two floors, and a semi-basement on part of the site. 40% of the site would be kept un- developed. The application refers to the development of a Class 3A devel- opment (guesthouses) and 3C de- velopment (leisure activities like gyms and theatres). The develop- ment would also include a picnic area and a parking area. A final decision on the develop- ment still has to be taken by the PA's executive board. Illegal Gudja restaurant set for refusal Six vie for MEP's seat SIX candidates have thrown in their hat in the ring for the elec- tion of a new Member of the Euro- pean Parliament, a position vacat- ed by Therese Comodini Cachia who is today a PN MP. They are Francis Zammit Di- mech, Ray Bugeja, Helga Ellul, Jonathan Shaw, Norman Vella and Kevin Cutajar. Former candidates Kevin Plumpton and Stefano Mal- lia will not contest Tuesday's elec- tion. Zammit Dimech is a favourite to win the casual election, having garnered 8,660 first preference votes. But everything depends on how people voted on Comodini Cachia's ballot sheet as it is her packet of 29,580 votes that will be opened and distributed amongst the candidates according to the voters' preference. Comodini Cachia reluctantly vacated her seat in Brussels, hav- ing originally announced she would not take up her seat in the Maltese parliament to stay on as MEP and "rebuild Malta's reputa- tion abroad". The human rights lawyer was elected MP on the eighth dis- trict with 4,244 votes on the 22nd count. Her controversial decision to stay in Brussels was received negatively by PN voters, and she subsequently changed her mind. Therese Comodini Cachia