The environment groups Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA), Friends of the Earth Malta, Gozo University Group, Malta Organic Agriculture Movement, Nature Trust Malta and Ramblers Association of Malta lashed out yesterday at several shortcomings in an application to construct a Lidl supermarket on unbuilt fields in the Xewkija valley.
The application is due to be decided today.
The groups said decision on this case was put off in spite of the fact that members of Mepas Environment and Planning Commission found that the site was too small to accommodate an outlet this size, with adequate parking and manoeuvring space. Still a professional traffic safety audit has not taken place even though EU regulations require such an audit for such a public structure, especially since trailers and customers vehicles will enter and leave the store head-on into oncoming vehicles. This will obviously create confusion and danger, considering the continuous flow of traffic on this busy main road which carries all traffic between Victoria, Nadur and Xagħra.
At the last hearing, it was pointed out, FAA also raised the point that Mepa regulations recommend that an impact retail assessment is carried out for the opening of large supermarkets such as this one in Gozo, but this was ignored by the Mepa EPC board, though this supermarket will have a significant impact both on other retail outlets in Gozo and on local residents, especially elderly residents, who will be most affected by the closure of small local grocers.
Most importantly, registered objectors were not informed of the submission of new plans, as is their legal right.
The six environment groups have always maintained that open agricultural land should not be built upon when empty buildings are available, alternatively by demolishing disused or dilapidated structures in urban areas. This was also raised by the EPC board which also pointed out that the Local Plan guidelines for this area do not include retail outlets.
The proposed site on the way to Victoria is a highly visible valley with Xagħra hill as a backdrop. What ruins the environment also ruins Gozos tourism potential, and must at all costs be avoided, the groups said.
Mepa has already blighted Malta with its decisions in the past, as seen recently in the cases of Wied il-Għasel and the Madliena Ridge project. Since Mepa maintains that these past permits cannot be revoked, let us not repeat such mistakes, the groups said.
The outcome of this application will indicate whether all the talk of sustainability and eco-Gozo is to remain talk, or to become a genuine political commitment, the groups added.
Source: www.independent.com.mt
Sussex tail frustrate Finn with England paceman set to resume his Test career - Daily Mail
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Steve Finn, about to restart his Test career, faced spirited resistance from the Sussex tail as Middlesex made hard work of victory at Lord’s.
Finn made the early inroads, nipping out Chris Nash with a cracking yorker and Murray Goodwin to leave Sussex 64-3 and needing 208 to make Middlesex bat again.
Hard day's work: Finn
But after Eoin Morgan dropped Naveed Arif off him in the slips, Finn was allowed to leave the hard work to his colleagues as the pitch grew flatter, his final figures of 3-66 giving him six wickets in the match.
Finn declined to speak afterwards, seemingly not wishing to comment on Jimmy Anderson being rested for the third Test.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Finn shines in Middlesex triumph - ECB
Steven Finn did his hopes of receiving an England Test recall no harm with three wickets as Middlesex defeated Sussex at Lord's to claim their third LV= County Championship win of the summer.
Finn followed up his three first-innings scalps with 3-66 as Sussex were bowled out for 225 in their second innings. That left Middlesex with a target of 18 and they completed a 10-wicket victory 40 minutes after tea on the final day.
Middlesex looked like wrapping up proceedings early when they reduced Sussex to 101 for five prior to lunch.
They were delayed by Ben Brown's second half-century of the match, but when he and Naveed Arif departed in successive overs Sussex were heading for their second successive championship defeat.
Finn, who had already picked up Ed Joyce on the third evening, was taken for two fours by Chris Nash in his first over of the day but hit back in the next when he cleaned up the Sussex opener with a leg-stump yorker.
Finn struck again when Murray Goodwin was smartly taken low down at second slip by Ollie Rayner. It was Goodwin's ninth single-figure score in 11 innings this season.
There was no respite for Sussex when Gareth Berg replaced Finn at the Pavilion End. Joe Gatting was leg before in the seamer’s first over and then Finn got in the act in the field, holding a two-handed catch when Luke Wright chased a wide ball from Berg and slashed to gully.
Skipper Michael Yardy also got out to a poor shot, pulling a short ball from Toby Roland-Jones straight to deep square-leg.
Finn returned after lunch and should have been celebrating again when Arif was badly dropped in the gully by Eoin Morgan on nought. He eventually got off the mark with a boundary off the 34th ball he faced and gradually Sussex's seventh-wicket pair mounted a recovery of sorts.
Brown twice pulled Roland-Jones for two of the eight fours he collected in a two-hour 53 as he and Arif added 63 in 25 overs, seven of which were bowled by Finn at a cost of just five runs.
Just when Middlesex were getting frustrated Berg went round the wicket to have Arif well caught low down at slip by Dawid Malan and in the next over Brown, having reached his fifty off the previous ball, mis-judged a reverse sweep at off-spinner Rayner and gave a simple catch to slip.
Steve Magoffin enjoyed himself either side of tea with 37, including six fours and a six off Malan, but the occasional leg-spinner picked up the last two wickets with Magoffin and Monty Panesar holing out.
Source: www.ecb.co.uk
Lidl’s plan for new branch put on hold - Times of Malta
German supermarket chain Lidl has been told its application to build a branch in Xewkija will not be considered until it proved the development will not negatively affect nearby retailers.
At a hearing held yesterday, the planning authority’s Environment Planning Commis-sion put off a decision pend-ing the outcome of a retail impact assessment.
Lidl was also told that it would have to obtain the nec-essary traffic-related certification from Transport Malta before its application could be considered.
Objecting to the proposal, architect Franco Montesin said that registered objectors had not been informed of the proposal’s most recent information.
Traffic concerns were what mainly worried architect Annamaria Attard Montalto. She insisted the applicant had to give priority to traffic safety concerns.
Fellow objector Astrid Vella, from Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar, said she was extremely pleased with the commission hearing deferral.
“It’s a very good, serious outcome. The board’s handling of the issue was exemplary and a good example of what one would hope to see at every hearing of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority,” she said.
Attempts at contacting proposal lead architect Edwin Mintoff proved unsuccessful.
Source: www.timesofmalta.com
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