Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/964110
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 11 APRIL 2018 News 4 Government's commitment to social justice reaping huge results - MP MARIA PACE MALTA'S government is see- ing a rapid rise in improved social justice, social mobil- ity and economy, Labour MP Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said during Monday's parliament session. Azzopardi said that the gov- ernment's aims to improve Malta's social sectors had seen an immense improvement, with the risk of poverty de- creasing rapidly as a result of the government's hard work. Society's wellbeing could only be truly measured by the treatment of the least for- tunate, he said, and the latest statistics indicate just how for- ward Malta was moving, with people at risk of poverty being on the decline. "We have seen great im- provements. Now, we need to continue working hard to help those in need, and give the opportunity so that everyone moves forward," Zrinzo Azzo- pardi said. He went on to say that the statistics were not just num- bers, but represented individ- uals, families, and situations which we need to treat in in- novative ways. Statistics also showed that people dependent on social benefits were also on the low, with 6,000 individuals now independent. The government will contin- ue to give this issue top prior- ity, as part of the project which the government started back in 2013, Zrinzo Azzopardi said. He said that the government was seeing economic success year in year out, with the work sector moving forward rap- idly. "With this government, we are creating a movement of new work opportunities and wealth," he said. "The Maltese economy is constantly grow- ing, and we are seeing the wealth of the country being contributed equally amongst citizens and all those in need." Zrinzo Azzopardi said that initiatives for people to enter the workforce are also on the rise, with women being of- fered more childcare opportu- nities, and a greater chance for pensions. The minimum wage was al- so increased after many years, Zrinzo Azzopardi remarked, with workplaces and condi- tions also improved. The next challenge, he said, was increasing the knowledge, teaching, and preparation so that our children's future will be brighter, with more oppor- tunities for success. He said that education was a vital aspect of social justice. Children need to be guided and taught to lead better lives. "Social justice begins when you decide to leave no one ex- cluded from society," Zrinzo Azzopardi said. "We are work- ing to further improve health aspects, in particular, mental health, and Malta's prison sys- tem." JAMES DEBONO A holiday village scattered over 2.3 hectares of ODZ land in Zur- rieq is being proposed on the site of the Garden of Eden wedding halls which includes an extensive carpark subject to planning en- forcement for the past 20 years. Presently 1,661sq.m of the 23,342sq.m site are built-up but development is concentrated on the area around the Eden Lodge wedding hall and the Cot- tage Garden wedding hall. The development is be- ing proposed by owner Maurizio Baldacchino. Plans submitted by ar- chitect Ray Demicoli envi- sion the demolition of the existing buildings and the development of 14 new units, a reception, a tennis court and a parking area over a wider area. While 1,524sq.m of land will be built up, the development will be scat- tered over a wider area including undeveloped land in the north- western part of the site and an extensive 5,073sq.m car park of dubious legality. The residential units will con- sist of two bedroom cabanas all equipped with a pool and screened by trees and a green roof. The Environment and Re- sources Authority has already objected to the development, noting that the application is proposing the additional com- mitment of undeveloped land at the northwestern parts of the site to accommodate a more scattered development. According to ERA it is unclear whether all existing interven- tions are located in areas covered by a valid permit or otherwise. ERA has expressed concern that the development is also be- ing proposed on an extensive ar- ea currently used as a makeshift car park. "The disturbed state of the site is not considered as a valid com- mitment justifying further devel- opment." The site is already subject to an enforcement order dating back to 1998 against the levelling of the site to constructed the carpark. "Instead, the disturbed area should be restored to its pris- tine state in line with a method statement approved by ERA". The developers are invoking the infamous Rural Policy ap- proved by the government in 2014 which permits the rede- velopment of existing buildings located outside development zone. But the policy itself states that redevelopment must not "involve substantial lateral or vertical extensions and/or sub- stantial re-building." The site is partly located in the vicinity of a Natura 2000 site. ODZ holiday village proposed in Zurrieq The proposal includes a large area reserved for car parking which has been subject to planning enforcement for the past 20 years MASSIMO COSTA THE government is committed to going through with the con- struction of an undersea tunnel between Malta and Gozo, with current study results indicating that its entry point could be in the Manikata area in Malta, and its exit point; Nadur in Gozo. This was announced by Trans- port Minister Ian Borg yesterday, who said that tunnel coring tests had been underway in Gozo and are at an advanced stage, with more indepth study work on the tunnel's "portals" – its points of entry and exit – to start shortly. "We are not just considering this - it is our responsibility to implement a permanent link between Malta and Gozo," Borg said. The tunnel would be 13km long, although studies in this regard are not yet concluded, Borg highlighted. It would have one lane in each direction and an emergency lane, with a daily capacity of 6,500 cars per day. The tunnel's corridor would be 500m wide. The design of the tunnel is also about to start, with tenders to be issued soon, the minister said. Borg said that a "design, build and operate for a number of years" economic model would likely be the best way of having the tunnel built and run, but that it was currently too early in the day to come up with cost esti- mates for the project. The environment would be a priority when it came to locat- ing the tunnel portals, he em- phasised, and the government was commissioning a detailed Environmental Impact Assess- ment on entry and exit points, which will be placed in such a way as to have the least possible environmental impact and cause as little disturbance as possible to any existing operations in the locations. "The area we have in mind in Nadur has already been spoilt, moreover locating the other portal in Manikata would have the added benefit of addressing the current traffic bottleneck at Xemxija hill," he explained. "The biggest challenge right now is the way we are going to dispose of the waste generated through the tunnelling, but the government won't let this dis- courage it, and the EIA should also deal with this matter." Eivind Grov, a Norwegian ex- pert from scientific research group SINTEF, who is working on the project and has vast ex- perience in tunnels connecting small islands to the mainland, said that a hillside is the ideal lo- cation for a portal, making it less costly, smaller and less conspicu- ous. "We would certainly avoid lo- cating it on flat land," Grov said. In terms of a timeline, in a fic- tional scenario where a contrac- tor had been chosen and work could start tomorrow, Grov said that it would take around three years for the required 13,000 metre excavation to take place. Once excavation was conclud- ed, installation would require around one to one and a half more years of work, he said. Tunnel would increase Gozo's contribution to economy Former parliamentary secre- tary Franco Mercieca, who is leading the committee over- seeing the project's implemen- tation, said the tunnel was important on a national level because Gozo currently only gave around a 5% contribution to the Maltese economy, and a permanent link could improve the overall economy of our is- lands and allow Gozo to have a greater role. On a local level, the tunnel would be of benefit in address- ing the current brain drain of young Gozitan people who have to leave the island due to a lack of job opportunities, and come to live in Malta, in the process having to choose between career progression and being closer to their families. "This is a very important step for this large and ambitious pro- ject, the biggest ever undertaken in Malta, which would see the first ever sub-sea tunnel con- structed in the Mediterranean," Mercieca said. From left: Former parliamentary secretary Franco Mercieca and Norwegian tunnelling expert Eivind Grov Malta-Gozo tunnel will link Nadur to Manikata