Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/853507
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 26 JULY 2017 JAMES DEBONO A record 72 planning illegali- ties were "regularised" by the Planning Commission on Fri- day, June 2, just a day before the general election. This confirms that the Plan- ning Commission, which is- sues regularisation permits through a scheme introduced by the government last year, had accepted a larger caseload of such permits in the final days of the election campaign. Regularisation of illegalities ranging from the size of in- ternal yards to full regulari- sations of illegally built struc- tures makes it possible for the owners to put these properties back on the market. In the last week before the general election a total of 261 illegalities where sanctioned compared to only 75 in the last week of April, 43 in the last week of June, and to 81 in the first week of July. The total number of illegali- ties regularised by the Plan- ning Authority during the electoral campaign amounted to 588, 405 of which were is- sued in the final two weeks of the electoral campaign. The number of regularisa- tions increased from just 40 in the first week of the campaign to 65 in the second week, to 78 in the third, to 144 in the fourth week and finally to 261 in the last week. This suggests that in the final week of the election the num- ber of irregularities was more than three times the usual number of permits issued through the scheme. The number of permits is- sued in the week before the election was previously im- possible to verify because these were published in the government gazette on differ- ent dates. The information came to light thanks to the revamped PA website which for the first time lists the permits issued through the PA's regularisa- tion scheme on each day. A previous probe by Malta- Today showed that 388 per- mits were published in the government gazette during the election period but this did not include a number of permits which were only published in the government gazette after the electoral campaign. The regularisation scheme, which came into effect in Au- gust 2016, excludes the regu- larisation of ODZ develop- ments but includes illegalities carried out within the devel- opment zone – including ur- ban conservation areas – car- ried out before 2016. Although anyone regularis- ing an illegality will have to pay a hefty fine, which can rise up to €7,600 for a 175 square metre illegal penthouse, the scheme, unlike previous ex- emptions from pending en- forcement orders introduced before 2013, will enable own- ers to sell such properties. The 'amnesty' is not automatic be- cause a board assesses applica- tions for regularisation. The Planning Authority is le- gally obliged to refund 90% of the fees incurred by applicants whose applications to regular- ise illegalities are rejected, and is under no legal obligation to ask these owners, through an enforcement notice, to remove these illegalities. Most illegalities sanctioned consist of minor irregularities such as internal yards built not according to sanitary regula- tions, lack of respect for street alignment and minor devia- tions from approved plans. But the developments regu- larised in the final week in- cluded a restaurant in Triq Congreve in Wied iz-Zurrieq. In this particular case the ad- vice of the case officer who recommended a refusal was ignored. Another case which was ap- proved despite the negative recommendation of the case officer involved the regulari- sation of an entire flat on a re- ceded floor in Nadur in Pjazza Pietru u San Pawl – the main square in Nadur, Gozo. Other cases of regularisa- tions with the favourable rec- ommendation of the case of- ficer involved a three-storey dwelling house and basement in Gharb and the regularisa- tion of a roof solarium, hot tub and kids pool in Xewkija. News 72 development illegalities regularised on election eve 261 regularisation permits issued in final week, 588 regularised during span of electoral campaign Kappara flyover partially opens to traffic TIM DIACONO HALF of the flyover of the Kap- para Junction project opened for traffic at 9pm yesterday. Two lanes on the flyover are now open for traffic passing from Regional Road to St Ju- lian's and Swieqi, a heavily used route that for months has been congested into a single lane. At the same time, vehicular access from Regional Road to San Gwann has been temporar- ily blocked off as works proceed onto that part of the junction. Once the project is complete, the two lanes in question will be used by traffic passing in the other direction, with two sepa- rate lanes on the flyover open- ing up for the Msida-St Julian's route. However, transport minister Ian Borg told a press confer- ence that a decision was taken to open the finished lanes to ve- hicles moving to St Julian's so as to ease the heavy traffic on Re- gional Road immediately. He noted that the flyover will open several weeks ahead of schedule and that Transport Malta also plans to beat the original end-of-year deadline for the completion of the project. With around 90,000 vehicles passing along it every day, the Kappara Junction is one of the busiest roads on the island – connecting St Julian's, Sliema, Gzira and Pembroke with San Gwann and Msida, as well as the Regional Road. Before works started in April 2016, it was also one of the most notorious traffic nodes, with traffic jams from St Julian's to the former roundabout some- times even stretching as far back as the tunnels above Birkirkara Road. Once the project is com- pleted, traffic from St Julian's to Msida and the Regional Road and vice versa will start passing over the flyover. All other traffic will continue passing through a roundabout that will be re-built under the flyover. At the press conference, Borg said that Transport Malta is maximising the summer months, when traffic is calmer due to school holidays, so as to carry out crucial road works. Apart from the Kappara Junc- tion, these include the creation of a new lane in Lija heading down to the roundabout be- tween the cemetery and the Birkirkara bypass and the wid- ening of a road in Kirkop for traffic heading down to the air- port.