Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/897139
8 News THE Partit Demokratiku have said the PA's Fuel Service Station Policy should be revisited if it is not being strictly adhered to. The PD said land speculators were buying relatively cheap agricultural land and turning it into a rural commercial goldmine through an imprecise Fuel Station Policy. Malta boasts 77 fuel stations, eight of which are in Gozo. The Planning Authority is presently screening four other applications submitted before 2015. The PD said that once a fuel sta- tion application is approved and rural land is disturbed, there is no enforcement to ensure that such a project is completed. Partit Demokratiku noted that a Burmarrad fuel station was recently approved in breach of the Fuel Ser- vice Station Policy, as the stipulated 500m distance which is designated to separate one station from anoth- er was not upheld. The Fuel Service Station Policy allows for the relocation of stations from urban areas to outside devel- opment zones (ODZ), as long as the site is designated non-agricultural land, while giving preference to industrial areas, open storage ar- eas, areas of containment and SME sites. Another application asked for the demolition of an existing farm- house and the construction of a fuel station with ancillary services, garages and cafeteria over an area of 27,000 square metres, when the policy restricts the footprint to 3,000 square metres. "The PA is repeatedly irrevers- ibly damaging our natural capital and the Environment Resource Au- thority is toothless. Such services should be pulled down and the sites restored to their original natural state." maltatoday SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2017 COURT NOTICE The Registrar of Civil Courts and Tribunals informs that the Civil Court, First Hall ordered the following sales by auction: 15 th November 2017 11.00am- EM 3/17 Edward Farrugia et. ID 36861M vs Pierre Falzon ID 535060M Rita Garage Triq Il-Kappillan Mifsud, Ħamrun Vehicle of the make Mercedes Benz with registration number FUS 003 20 th November 2017 11.00am 19/17 HSBC Bank Malta plc. C3177 vs Mary Micallef ID 188442M HSBC Bank Malta Plc 80, Triq Il-Mitħna, Qormi 880.666 unit in World Selection 2 Class ACH EUR. 57.6616 unit in International Bond Fund EUR (Accumulator). 875.106 unit in World Selection 1 Class ACH EUR. 39.3337 unit in HSBC Malta Bond Fund Accumulator. 22 nd November 2017 11.00am - EGL 30/17 Anthony Aquilina ID 269468M vs Pietro Sada ID 119999A Garage No 2 Drive 184, Triq San Filippu, Birzebbuga Vehicle of the make Range Rover Vogue grey in colour with the registration number BG PA 04292 BT. 22 nd November 2017 12.00pm - JGL 15/17 J. Zammit Limited C 37945M vs Giovanni Palmeri ID 73453A 55, J&J Boatyard, Ta' Għadmija, Imqabba Vehicle of the make Ford Focus of blue metallic colour with registration number DEB 105. 27 th November 2017 12.00pm - EM 17/17 Lombard Bank Malta plc. C1607 vs Lawrence Debono ID 58752M First Floor Courts Of Justice, Republic Street, Valletta 35% of the shares in the name of Lawrence Debono within the company Farma Plastics Limited (C31048) valued at €85,407 29 th November 2017 11.00am - AZ 10/17 J.Zammit Limited C 37945 vs Spiridione Nappa ID 267381M 3, St. James Court, Triq Is-Sienja, Attard Vehicle of the make Fiat Punto, Black Colour, with registration number ACA 518. 29 th November 2017 12.00pm - EM 29/17 JMC Properties C 52422 vs Ian Calleja ID 235693M 3, St. James Court, Triq Is-Sienja, Attard Vehicle of the make Renault Megane with registration number BCC 304. Further details can be obtained from the website: http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/courtservices/JudicialSales/search.aspx The bidders taking part in the auction must present their identity card Rudolph Marmara' For the Registrar Civil Courts and Tribunals PD calls for PA policy revision MARIA PACE MALTA'S fostered children are suffering from un- certainty when taken in by their carers, because of a complex decision-making process. Dr Daniella Zerafa, a social worker who has fos- tered three children in the last six years, says children considered for foster care are not yet at the centre of the decision taken to move these children into stable homes. "Although removing a child from their biological family should be the last resort, they should not suffer the consequences of waiting… Children should be in the centre, their voice should not be muffled by any other voices in this process," Zerafa said, in a doctor- ate she presented to a fostering conference where she urged policy-makers to give foster children perma- nence, rather than constant change and questioning. Specifically, before children are finally taken out of home care, their biological family are given numerous chances to remedy their domestic situation. "When a decision is finally reached, the child would have suf- fered significantly," she said. "The study suggests that these assessments need to be made early on in the trajectory of the child's life in social services… Children are individuals with in- dividual rights. If something is threatening those in- dividual rights, the State should intervene in time for the child's rights to be safeguarded and for that child to be able to move through childhood and life without significant harm." Zerafa said she wants policy-makers to allow foster carers to be safe ports for these children. "Help chil- dren build permanent relationships of safety and se- curity rather than continuous questioning." Zerafa called out what she described as constant waiting and questioning that comes with being in fos- ter care. "These children want a real second chance, not a token second chance," she said. The process of placing a child into foster care might take years, leaving the child to struggle while waiting for progress. On top of that, some children are not placed into care because there are not enough foster carers and residential homes around. "How long are we going to wait before a child should settle down in permanent foster care?" Zerafa asked. "Permanency is not only about making sure that chil- dren stay in foster care; permanency is also about tak- ing timely decisions for children to return home if that is in their interest." Even when placed in care, the child is questioned on a six-month review basis, even though the child makes it clear they do not want to return to their biological partners. "They never settle down, and so neither do the bio- logical parents or foster carers," Zerafa said. "No hu- man being, adult or child, functions well in an unsta- Foster parents kept away where kids are not yet