Eight localities to benefit from MEPA funds

Eight localities which will be benefitting from over €300,000 by MEPA after their projects met the necessary criteria to receive funding through the Urban Improvement Fund (UIF) – a fund which is accumulated from fines handed out to developers which do not make sufficient provisions for parking.

The 9 projects, which are being fully funded by the Authority, are specifically targeted at improving the quality of life for residents living in these localities. The localities which will benefit from the fund are Marsa, Naxxar, Mqabba, Mosta, Senglea, and Kercem, Zebbug and Nadur in Gozo.

“The aim is to ensure that safety of and accessibility to public sites are safeguarded,” Perit Lucien Stafrace, director of the fund scheme said. “Also, we have stressed that projects of quality are desired that the planning of these will be carried out with efficiency.”

Launched in 2006, the Authority has so far successfully invested nearly €9 million in over 262 projects.

On his part, Parliamentary Secretary for Planning Michael Falzon said that the scheme required “cooperation and consensus” from all parties. “Ultimately, this fund should strive to raise the quality of life for the residents affected,” he said. “It is a means to give back to the community.”

Meanwhile, Marsa mayor Francis Debono said that the fund gave localities a boost but appealed to MEPA to further aid for areas which suffered from industrial overdevelopment such as Marsa. “Environmental harm needs to be penalised more,” he said. “The residency levels in Marsa have kept on decreasing and this is a sign that people are finding our locality less and less livable.”