Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/964110
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 11 APRIL 2018 News 2 JAMES DEBONO THE completion of the Fortina project which is set for approval in a planning board meeting tomorrow, is expected to last 31 months, the case officer rec- ommending approval of the project states. The development consists of the ad- dition of five storeys to the existing hotel tower, a 15-storey block of 109 apartments as well as a ground-floor 3,500sq.m shopping mall and three lev- els of underground parking. The development also includes a 2,460sq.m open space set between the refurbished five-star hotel, the spa block and the residential complex. The excavation of the carpark is ex- pected to take 16 weeks to complete while the construction of the carpark and overlying residential block will take approximately two years to complete. The refurbishment and extension of the five-star hotel will be done in paral- lel with the other phases. Thus, "the entirety of the project is expected to last approximately 31 months". The PA has already approved the demolition of the existing hotel. Demo- lition works have resulted in a number of complaints by residents over the past weeks. Works will be regulated through a construction management plan. The Environment and Resources Au- thority has exempted the development from carrying an Environment Impact Assessment and the project is set to be approved in ten months since the pres- entation of the application three days after the 2017 general election. In its assessment of the project the Environment and Resources Author- ity lamented the "the absence of a clear plan-level picture of the development capacity of the surrounding area of in- fluence", noting that "such case-by-case assessment of individual development proposals has important limitations vis-a-vis proper evaluation of the actual cumulative air quality impact". The development has been given the clearance of the Government Property Division (GPD). The land was allocated for tourism-related de- velopment by the government in the 1960s. The case officer report states that although the GPD does not have any objections, conditions require that "the proposed development is in ac- cordance with the status of govern- ment ownership, the proposed de- velopment does not run counter to conditions under which it is let/given on emphyteusis and no third party rights are being infringed by pro- posed development". The Democratic Party had ex- pressed concern that the develop- ment resulted in a change of use from that stipulated in the original contract, and would "necessitate a re- think of the ground rent, which is an insignificant cost in light of the huge amount of money set to be made." FORTINA PROJECT: Approved in 10 months, 31 months to complete CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The law is also expected to say that parents who, before the start of the treatment, decline to agree with the adoption clause will only be allowed to fertilise two eggs, with all result- ing embryos being transferred to the womb – as happens today. Sources said the move was intended to allay fears that frozen embryos will pile up at fertility clinics, leaving doc- tors with the ethical dilemma of what to do with them if they remain un- claimed. Current legislation only allows em- bryo freezing in exceptional cases, such as when fertilised eggs cannot be transferred to the womb because the woman would have suffered an acci- dent before the implantation process. The changes will make embryo freez- ing an integral part of the IVF treat- ment, something that pro-life groups are opposed to. However, fertility ex- perts argue that for IVF programmes to be successful they have to include the option to freeze embryos. Existing legislation only allows for the freezing of unfertilised eggs, which is ethically non-controversial. The Bill is also expected to make other sweeping changes to the restric- tive Embryo Protection Act, including the introduction of sperm and egg do- nation, which are currently outlawed. This aspect will make it possible for lesbians and infertile couples to have children. The age of women who would be able to benefit from IVF would increase to 48 in cases where eggs come from a young donor. It will remain 43, in other cases. The first reading of the Bill reforming the Embryo Protection Act will take place this evening in Par- liament. Piloted by Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, the changes have re- ceived unanimous backing within the Labour parliamentary group. An attempt to reform the Embryo Pro- tection Act in the last legislature had stalled after some MPs, including for- mer foreign minister George Vella, had objected to embryo freezing. Last week an online parliamentary petition against embryo freezing was initiated, calling on MPs not to change the existing IVF law. By yesterday evening it had garnered 1,016 signa- tures. The Labour government has an elec- toral mandate to reform the IVF law. Law will ensure embryos are not stockpiled by fertility clinics JUDGE Joseph Azzopardi, 63, will be- come the new chief justice on 26 April, the government said. Azzopardi will formally take over the day after incumbent Chief Justice Sil- vio Camilleri retires on 25 April after reaching 65. Members of the judiciary are re- quired by law to retire when they reach 65, which means that Azzopardi will be taking up the top job at the law courts for a two-year term. In a statement yesterday evening, the government said it advised the Presi- dent to appoint Azzopardi as chief jus- tice. The government said the Opposi- tion was kept abreast of developments throughout the selection process. Azzopardi has been described in legal circles as a non-controversial choice despite having once been an unsuccessful election candidate for the Labour Party. The judge was never deeply involved in politics and is considered to be an honest and affable man. He was also elected president of the Chamber of Advocates in 2000 and remained for three years until his ap- pointment by a Nationalist adminis- tration as judge in 2003. Azzopardi is currently the presi- dent of the family section of the Civil Courts. He is married to Maria and has a daughter. Judge Joseph Azzopardi to replace Silvio Camilleri as Chief Justice