Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/864549
6 News JAMES DEBONO THE legal notice enabling the minister responsible for the police to proceed with devel- opment on land under the op- erational control of the Malta Police Force without seeking a development permit has come into force. But the legal notice has been tweaked in a way that the min- ister will have to get clearance from the Environment and Re- sources Authority, not just on scheduled land as originally envisioned in the draft issued for public consultation, but on any ODZ development. This loophole in the original draft had been highlighted by MaltaToday in a report pub- lished last month. The police force has a num- ber of properties, such as po- lice stations, located in ODZ locations such as Ghar Lapsi, Ghadira and Comino. The legal notice as approved states that development car- ried out by the police force can be undertaken without even a planning notification when- ever "in the opinion of the Minister responsible for the Malta Police Force" the devel- opment is "urgently required for national security reasons" and the Planning Authority "is informed accordingly." In cases where national se- curity is not at stake, develop- ment carried out by the police force on land under its "opera- tional control", will be exempt- ed from full planning proce- dures and instead be carried out through the DNO, which applies to small-scale devel- opments such as washrooms, traffic lights and internal al- terations. Only when the development is located on scheduled prop- erty, will the PA be obliged to seek clearance by the Superin- tendent of Cultural Heritage. But through the latest amend- ment the Environment and Resources Authority will now be consulted not just on de- velopment in scheduled areas like Natura 2000 sites but also where ODZ sites are involved. Similar discretionary powers already exist for the develop- ment required by the army or for detention facilities for ir- regular migrants. In September 2013 the no- notification applied "where in the opinion of the Minister re- sponsible for the Armed Forc- es or the Minister responsible for Immigration, the develop- ment is urgently required for national security reasons or for humanitarian, security or other relevant reasons, respec- tively." In this way a controversial concrete structure construct- ed by the Armed Forces of Malta at Haywharf was erect- ed without a planning permit. The Chamber of Architects had warned that although the proposed amendments include an obligation for obtaining pri- or clearance from the Super- intendence of Cultural Herit- age and the Environment and Resources Authority in cer- tain locations, these proposed amendments unnecessarily create scope for abuse. The Chamber noted that the DNO process is the only plan- ning application process which does not involve public consul- tation, and therefore members of the public "will have no opportunity to participate in the planning process and to submit their views, objections, and suggestions". maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 23 AUGUST 2017 A.F.ELLIS (HOME DECOR) LTD, of Xewkija, Gozo is a retailer of ceramic tiles and sanitary ware and the parent company of GOZO CONCRETE PRODUCTS LTD. which manufactures cement blocks, marble and Gozo Hardstone products in our factory at Xewkija Industrial Estate. In order to strengthen our team, the following vacancies have arisen: ACCOUNTANT (Gozo based) The successful candidate will be ideally a graduate in accountancy and would be expected to prepare regular management accounts, financial statements, statutory reports, payroll runs and tax and VAT returns. A knowledge of Sage and MS Office is essential. SALESPERSON (Malta based) A salesperson is required for our Malta outlet. The right candidate should have a pleasant and persevering personality. The ideal candidate should also have a good knowledge of English and Sage. An attractive salary will be offered to the right candidates. Letters of application and CV's should be submitted to the managing director by e-mail on mail@afellis.com.mt by August 31,2017. Almost half Maltese tourists use coaches while on holiday JAMES DEBONO 49% of the Maltese have made a coach trip while on holi- day, a survey by the European Commission reveals, making the Maltese the second most likely to use a coach while on holiday in Europe. The EU commission survey also shows that the Maltese are the most likely to travel to other countries using a coach. This finding may ref lect the travel patterns of the many Maltese who travel in organ- ised groups vising multiple destinations by coach. Surprisingly the survey shows that respondents in Malta (47%) and Cyprus (44%), both of which are sur- rounded by sea, are the most likely to travel to other coun- tries using a coach. On the other hand respond- ents in Portugal (9%), Ger- many and France (both 12%), all of which have borders with other countries, are the least likely to do so. In six Member States, more than one third of respondents have made a coach trip to go on holiday. This is most likely to be mentioned in Austria (50%), Malta (49%), and Spain and Cyprus (both 38%), but least likely to be mentioned by respondents in Latvia (9%), Hungary (11%) and the Neth- erlands (12%). Respondents in the Neth- erlands (20%), Luxembourg (19%) and Hungary (16%) are the most likely to have recent- ly used coach services to go to work, while respondents in Malta (1%), in Germany (2%), and the United Kingdom and Greece (both 4%) are the least likely to have done so. The Maltese are also among the most likely to say that they have recently made a coach trip to travel to a place of ed- ucation. The mostly likely to use a coach for this purpose were respondents in Slovenia (16%), followed by those in Slovakia, Ireland, Malta and Italy (all 11%). The survey showed that re- spondents in Ireland, Spain, Cyprus and Malta were the most likely to be satisfied with coach services, while respondents in Croatia, Hun- gary and Romania were more likely to be dissatisfied. Police exempted from filing planning permits Law exempting police from seeking planning permits comes in force but the legal notice was tweaked to give the ERA a say on any ODZ development and not just in scheduled areas like Natura 2000 sites