A trade fair, suspended following a dispute with the Planning Authority, is back on after Economy Minister Chris Cardona gave a “special concession”, according to the chamber of small businesses.
GRTU president Paul Abela told the Times of Malta that he had met with Dr Cardona to “find a solution” to problems the trade fair was facing with the authorities and reverse the decision for its cancellation.
On Tuesday, the organisers of this year’s edition of Il-Fiera l-Kbira had announced that the fair would not be held after they were denied use of areas slapped with planning enforcements.
The fair was slated to take place at the contentious Montekristo Estate between July 7 and 17 until the Planning Authority insisted areas within the estate currently facing enforcement could not be used.
We will use everywhere as was used the previous year
Mr Abela, however, said the GRTU had held talks with Dr Cardona on behalf of the exhibitors and new permits would be issued for the chamber to organise the event. “We had a situation where many exhibitors had already ordered stock and we couldn’t allow the fair not to happen,” he said.
Asked if the Chamber had sought a compromise with the authorities and would hold the fair without using any of the irregular parts of the estate, Mr Abela said the fair would go ahead as “originally intended”.
“We will use everywhere as was used the previous year,” he said.
Sources close to the Planning Authority confirmed the authority’s position on the irregular parts of the estate had not changed. The issue had been flagged during previous editions of the fair but the event had gone ahead nonetheless, they added.
In a statement on Tuesday the Planning Authority said that it had warned Montekristo’s owner, Charles Polidano, that the fair would not be allowed to take place beyond the permitted boundaries. It had subsequently reconfirmed its position before organisers had applied for a permit.
“Therefore the organisers should have been well aware that the Big Fair could only take place within the permitted boundaries,” the statement read.
The authority insisted that it had never objected and always allowed events to be carried out at the estate as long as these occurred within areas that had legitimate planning permission.
Minister for Small Business Chris Cardona denied he had intervened: “It is not within the remit of the minister to interfere with decisions being taken by the Trade Department in relation to the trade licenses being issued”.
DEMOLITION OF 'TOWER' CONTINUING
Meanwhile, the Polidano Group said today that demolition of the 'Falcon tower' on its site had entered another phase with the ceiling of another floor having been demolished.
"Landscaping works forming part of a new garden is taking shape after over 8,000 tons of soil was transported to this rehabilitated area as part of the Polidano Group environmental approach," the group said.