Too Lidl too late

With regard to the Lidl franchise being extended to Malta, can I ask David Gatt, country manager for Lidl Malta, what steps they are taking to ensure that no stores are built on land outside development zone as is the case with the proposed supermarket in Safi? Mr Gatt has stated in the press that Lidl aims to be a community supermarket. In reply to that statement can I just say that getting the community's back up by supporting building irregularities is not a very good start to a good community relationship.

When quizzed about the controversy over the permit, Mr Gatt insisted that Lidl Malta is "in no way involved in the application process". Not good enough Mr Gatt. Construction magnate Charles Polidano made the application on your behalf. Once Lidl realised that irregularities had arisen in the application process, irregularities which we have to remember caused the resignation of a DCC board, they should have called a halt to the construction work and withdrawn their contract with Mr Polidano.

Rather than do that, Mr Gatt has declared that Lidl Malta will still be opening its supermarket in Safi. To me he is saying that yes the law was broken, yes irregularities occurred, but we've cleverly got away with it by passing the blame onto the constructor and Mepa. It would appear that Mr Gatt and Lidl have realised at a very early stage how things work in Malta.