News | Sunday, 26 April 2009

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MEPA just sitting pretty on our cash – GRTU

James Debono
The Chamber for small business, the GRTU, is calling on MEPA to spend the millions it has accumulating from fees it collected from developers to create more car parks.
The planning authority has only spent €941,077 from a €10.6 million fund since 1997 that was intended for the development of public car parks and traffic facilities.
The fund – the commuted parking payment scheme (CPPS) – is funded directly by the fees developers and businesses pay for not providing the required parking facilities for their new building projects.
But MEPA found no problem in helping itself to the fund for an interest-free €3.1 million loan to purchase Hexagon House in Marsa from HSBC, which cost €4.3 million in total, to house its personnel.
GRTU president Paul Abela refused to express an opinion on the decision to use CPPS funds to buy Hexagon House.
“This money was paid by developers so that MEPA spends it on new car parks. Instead the money is accumulating in its bank account. MEPA should start identifying possible sites for car parks or else it should start buying parking slots from the private car parks,” Abela said, adding that MEPA must consult stakeholders on how to spend the CPPS funds.

MEPA’s handy cash cow
www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/04/05/t5.html

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