George Camilleri

Maltatoday, Sunday 22nd June 2008, by James Debono The Malta Environment and Planning Authority approved 65,737 new dwellings between January 1998 and May 2008, despite a corresponding increase of 17,000 vacant properties between 1995 and 2005. A total of 34,146 new dwellings have been approved since 2005. The number of permits for new dwellings has shot up from just 2,994 in...

Maltatoday, Sunday 22 June 2008, by James Debono MEPA’s Development Control Commission (DCC) has ignored an earlier controversial decision taken by its predecessor that claimed the development of 43 apartments and an underground car park for 121 cars in one of Balzan’s characteristic private gardens as “compatible with the local plan.” The board has now called on the case officer to...

The Malta Independent on Sunday, 22nd June 2008, by Francesca Vella – BirdLife Malta is to submit an application to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) in a bid to regenerate an area at the side of the Is-Simar nature reserve in Xemxija, which is currently in a fairly dilapidated state. The area, which acts as a buffer zone between the...

The Malta Independent on Sunday, 22nd June 2008 The Ramblers’ Association of Malta said it finds it unbelievable and disquieting that the Prime Minister “secretly” agreed to sanction the illegal occupation of public land at Armier in a pre-election gimmick. To add insult to injury, Enemalta is now proposing to build a substation, costing an estimated e82,000, so that these illegal...

The Malta Independent on Sunday, 22nd June 2008 The new Mepa board will be meeting on Thursday for the first time in public since it was reconstituted with Austin Walker as its chairman. A notice placed in the newspapers yesterday said the first item the board will be considering on Thursday is “Consideration to invoke Article 39A of the Development Planning Act”...

DOI Press Release 0881 – 20 June 2008   The major restoration and rehabilitation projects earmarked by Government as far back as 2004 seek to address the problem of restoration and rehabilitation of the decaying architectural fabric of some of Malta’s salient and most important fortifications with the aim of their revalorization as...

Maltatoday, 15th June 2008, by James Debono – A reliable supply of electricity costing the country €82,000 is the latest gift to the Armier squatter community. A new substation will be built by Enemalta almost exclusively for the boathouse community in Armier, who took up public land illegally by erecting their own summer boathouses. Enemalta already supplies 110 illegal boathouses in Armier...

Times of Malta, 20 June 2008 – Culture Minister Dolores Cristina told Parliament on Wednesday that more than 500 pieces of works of art of a certain cultural value were repossessed from people who were not eligible to have them in their possession. Introducing the estimates of Heritage Malta and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the minister said that this was the...

Times of Malta, 17th June 2008 Austin Walker, former chairman of the Malta Resources Authority, yesterday officially took up the post as executive chairman of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and now faces the challenge of reforming the authority. He takes over from former chairman Andrew Calleja who stepped down last week. Mr Walker, an accountant and auditor by profession, was...