newsare.net
The Mrieħel high-rise project never made a promised €50,000 contribution to a new artistic fund despite public assurances from the Office of the Prime Minister, it has emerged. In September 2016, shortly after the Planning Authority controversially granteMrieħel high-rise project never contributed to artistic fund
The Mrieħel high-rise project never made a promised €50,000 contribution to a new artistic fund despite public assurances from the Office of the Prime Minister, it has emerged. In September 2016, shortly after the Planning Authority controversially granted a permit for four towers of 14 to 19 storeys each in Mrieħel, the OPM said in response to questions by the Times of Malta that the developers would contribute €50,000 to the fund administered by the Arts Council. The artistic fund, announced in September 2015, requires developers to make a contribution of between €25,000 and €100,000 for permits issued under the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) policy, which governs high-rise projects. The fund is intended to support cultural infrastructure and spaces. In the case of Mrieħel, the OPM spokesman said the €50,000 would be allocated once the developers had paid a bank guarantee and other fees required for the permit to be made executable. The project was also the subject of an appeal which concluded last May in favour of the developers. However, it has now emerged from a report on fresh plans to extend the project that this contribution was never actually imposed. The developers have... Read more