Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/950286
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 7 MARCH 2018 News 4 JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Directo- rate has endorsed plans for a new 17-room hotel at Kalanka beach after developer Kenneth Abela dropped plans for beach facilities and the construc- tion of a 50-metre tunnel linking the beach to the hotel. The new hotel is being proposed on the site of the ruins of a hotel which closed down in the 1980s. The footprint of the derelict hotel will be increased by 561m², whilst an additional 480m², will be occupied by terraces and a swimming pool. This will result in a total footprint of 1,050m², which according to the case officer is equivalent to "the existing disturbed foot- print" around the old hotel. A final decision will be taken by the Planning board in a meeting scheduled for 15 March. The case officer report reveals that the developers have abandoned plans for the construction of a tunnel linking the beach to the ho- tel after an Environmental Impact Assessment warned this could undermine the stability of the cliff. "The omission of the tunnel and beach facili- ties would considerably mitigate the impact of the scheme in respect of the geomorphology of the ar- ea and the stability of the cliff," the EIA says. The EIA had also warned that the development will result in a significant change in the rural / natu- ral landscape with the in- troduction of a "larger and taller hotel building with a modern form". But according to the case officer the proposed addi- tional floor and horizon- tal extensions of the der- elict hotel would only have moderate impact when viewed from the opposite side of the bay. "Through the submission of a visual impact assess- ment, it is being project- ed that the development will have limited impact on the surroundings, and will only be highly visible from views within the bay itself." The case officer also re- fers to the need to regener- ate and upgrade the area noting that the disused Delimara Bay Hotel is in a derelict state, "with the existing structures be- ing subject to vandals and graffiti artists, as well as being in a bad state of dis- repair, with existing ceil- ings being propped up to avoid collapse". The Environment and Resources Authority had called for the project to be "significantly down- scaled and limited to the replacement of the exist- ing derelict building with a lower-key structure" that does not in any way exceed the dimensions of the ex- isting building in terms of both height and footprint. More than 450 individual citizens have objected to the proposed hotel. In an interview with MaltaToday in August last year Abela defended his plans. "What does the public gain by keeping the derelict building as it is?... people will be relaxing and taking a coffee on the ter- race of the hotel, and the site which presently is only frequented in summer will be used all-year-round." Delimara hotel set for approval The derelict hotel at Kalanka beach A photomontage of the proposed hotel at Delimara MATTHEW AGIUS THE chairman of the board of administrators of the Malta Community Chest Fund, John Camilleri, has told a court that the board had not discussed the 2015 Paqpaqli car show in its meetings before the event. Testifying in proceedings against 13 members of the or- ganising committee, Camilleri was grilled at length by lawyers on both sides of the case during yesterday's sitting. The 13-member core-organ- ising committee for Paqpaqli ghall-Istrina; Paul Bailey, To- nio Darmanin, Tonio Cini, Agostino Degiorgio, Jonathan Tonna, Kevin Perry, Melvin Haber, Ian Keith Cilia Pisani, Jonathan Bruno, Julian Man- nara, Christopher Sultana, Da- vid Bugeja and Brian Gatt are accused of involuntarily caus- ing grievous bodily harm, as well damage to various motor vehicles, through imprudence, carelessness and non-obser- vance of regulations. During yesterday's lengthy sitting, it emerged that the driver of the Porsche Spyder which crashed into spectators at the event had been hosted at San Anton Palace before the day of the accident and had returned there after his dis- charge from hospital. Yet, the chairman on the board of administrators of the MCCF, John Camilleri, de- clared that he had known noth- ing of this hosting arrangement before tragedy struck and only got to know after the accident. Before magistrate Aaron Bugeja earlier yesterday, Camill- eri explained that, before the ac- cident, the board of administra- tors had only met three times and had not engaged in any dis- cussion regarding the Paqpaqli ghall-Istrina event. In reply to a question from the presiding magistrate, Camilleri said that he had 'no idea' as to whether there had existed any form of written agreement or document to regulate the re- lationship between the MCCF and the event organisers. Asked by lawyer Roberto Montalto whether he could identify any of the core com- mittee members seated in court, the chairman said that he formerly only knew Tonio Darmanin, having only become acquainted with the others over the past months. Cross-examined by lawyer Reuben Farrugia about who was authorised to act on behalf of the MCCF, the chairman, after referring to the statute, said that all members of the board of ad- ministrators acted jointly. Pressed further by the lawyers, he emphasised that the board "absolutely took no decision and knew nothing of the event" add- ing that he had "got no hando- ver from Mark Mallia or anyone else" in reply to a question by lawyer Giannella DeMarco. Another witness, Roberta Ce- sareo, who served as secretary to the core committee for a few months before the 2015 event on a voluntary basis, confirmed that it was normal practice to meet at San Anton, adding that members of the MCCF and the OPR always attended and played an important role in the meetings. Recalling her last meeting, at- tended by President Marie Lou- ise Coleiro Preca, Cesareo con- firmed an introductory minute which read that "Her Excellency informed all present that any assistance from OPR would be provided at all levels, including logistics, marketing and volun- teers". Carm Briffa, secretary to the President, told the court how things had changed under the current Presidency. He con- firmed what had been said by other witnesses, that Paqpaqli ghall-Istrina was a third-party event, the organisation of which was left in the hands of third parties since the MCCF lacked the expertise to organise it. Police inspectors Josric Mifsud, Silvio Magro and Hu- bert Cini are prosecuting. Lawyers Giannella DeMarco and Stephen Tonna Lowell are counsel to Paul Bailey. Lawyer Joe Giglio is counsel to Tonio Darmanin. Lawyer Stefano Fil- letti is counsel to Brian Gatt and Julian Manara. Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi is defence counsel for Ian Cilia Pisani, Kevin Perry and Chris Sultana. Other members of the Paqpaqli team are being assist- ed by Michael Sciriha, Raphael Fenech Adami and Albert Zer- afa. Franco Debono, Amadeus Cachia, Roberto Montalto, Mi- chael Grech, Shazoo Ghaznavi, Alessia Zammit Mackeon and Reuben Farrugia are among the lawyers appearing parte civile for the victims. magius@mediatoday.com.mt MCCF board had not discussed 2015 Paqpaqli show before event