Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/954081
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 NEWS JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Directorate is recommending the refusal of the four ODZ Kalkara villas, granted preliminary approval in an outline permit issued a few days before the election. A final decision by the Plan- ning Commission was due yesterday. But in a clear indi- cation that the development will still be approved, the deci- sion was postponed to 4 April. The permit in the vacant plot of land was issued despite four prior refusals by the Planning Authority for development on the same 1,400sq.m site, which includes two mature carob trees. Approved on 18 May the per- mit foresaw the development of four dwellings and under- lying garages in a hamlet in Triq Santu Rokku in Kalkara but specified that the 'internal layout, design and external ap- pearance' are "reserved mat- ters" which should be assessed when a full development appli- cation is presented. The case office is now argu- ing that although the devel- opment had been accepted in principle in May, the pro- posed terraced houses exceed the 200sq.m threshold of floor-space permitted in the local plan in a policy regulat- ing development in the rural hamlet. Moreover, according to the case officer "the proposed de- velopment exceeds the depth of the adjoining properties and will result in the overdevelop- ment of the site, in conflict with the objectives of Local Plan". However, project architect Robert Musumeci who is rep- resenting applicant Norbert Bellia, has rejected a request to downscale the floorspace of each dwelling unit to not more than 200sq.m. In his reply the architect in- sisted that the building enve- lope had already been estab- lished in the outline permit and even cited two previous cases within the Santu Rokku hamlet where the 200sq.m threshold was not applied. In yesterday's meeting the Planning Commission also referred to a previous case where the 200sq.m threshold was not applied. The proposal involves the construction of four terraced houses having a floorspace which varies between 233sq.m and 286sq.m (excluding roof structures), therefore going beyond the 200sq.m allowance for each dwelling unit. The Environment and Re- sources Authority has also remained steadfast in its ob- jections warning that the fi- nal approval of the proposal would constitute a precedent for similar development on existing vacant plots within the Santu Rokku hamlet, and would open the floodgates for other similar developments in similar locations. According to ERA the devel- opment will disrupt the rural setting and adversely affect the ecological importance of site and the surrounding Area of Ecological Importance/Site of Scientific Importance. "Moreover, the proposed development would result in additional urban sprawl be- yond the current extent of the built-up area and would also create a strong impact on the visual amenity of this particu- lar hamlet, which would be highly visible from surround- ings areas". The pre-electoral permit had been issued by the Plan- ning Commission despite ob- jections by both ERA and the Planning Directorate. Case officer recommends refusal of Kalkara villas The area marked in red indicates the area covered in the application MASSIMO COSTA A new Gaming Bill, tabled in Parliament last evening, is ex- pected to lead to a 4% growth in the industry, the parliamentary secretary for digital innovation said yesterday. Silvio Schembri said the new legislation would repeal and re- place all other existing gaming legislation. Once enacted, the act would, together with subsidiary legis- lation, cover the main thrust of gaming regulation, as well as a number of technical di- rectives and guidelines cur- rently being discussed by the Malta Gaming Authority. Describing it as a major step in streamlining and compre- hensively including all gaming services offered in and from Malta across all MGA channels, Schembri said the Government "wants to ensure the gaming industry continues to be run responsibly, fairly and free from criminal activity, in such a way that Malta provides a safe and well-regulated environment where the industry can develop and innovate". He added that the aim also was to eliminate red tape and increase efficiency and flex- ibility for the gaming regula- tor, while also creating a more robust framework and focusing regulation on outcomes. The new Bill should lead to a 4% growth in the gaming industry, he highlighted. MGA executive chairman Jo- seph Cuschieri welcomed the Bill, calling it an important milestone and major step for- ward by the Government. "[The Bill] contains draft pro- posals which aim to bridge the regulatory gap between various gaming verticals and channels, including new technologies serving as a platform to future proof gaming regulation, whilst ensuring that consumers enjoy a consistent level of protection," Cuschieri said. The proposed regulatory framework would strengthen the MGA's compliance and enforcement functions to bet- ter achieve its regulatory ob- jectives, in line with current developments on anti-money laundering and the funding of terrorism, the MGA said in a press statement. "Other important areas of focus include consumer pro- tection standards, responsible gaming measures, reporting of suspicious sports betting trans- actions in the fight against the manipulation of sports com- petitions, and objective-orien- tated standards to encourage innovation and development," it emphasised, adding that the Bill had come about as a result of extensive public consultation with stakeholders and the pub- lic, as well as technical studies and economic and financial im- pact assessments. mcosta@mediatoday.com.mt New Gaming Bill expected to herald 4% industry growth Bill seeks to repeal all existing gaming legislation to replace it with a single act covering main aspects of gaming regulation