Planners approve complex for people with disabilities

A complex aiming to provide an “improved quality of life for persons with disabilities” will be built in Naxxar after the Planning Authority unanimously approved the project on Thursday. The complex, a government project, will be built on around 10,000 square metres of agricultural land close to the former trade fair grounds, between Triq it-Torri tal-Kaptan and Triq San Timotju. It will consist of four fully detached blocks, surrounded by a large landscaped open area, and an underground car park. Including residences, retail outlets, office space, workshops, a hostel, a therapy centre and a gym, its stated aim is to create a community hub where people with a disability living on site or visiting can have full access to all the facilities. The €12 million project attracted controversy when it was first proposed in 2015 due to the suggestion of people with a disability being physically separated from the rest of the community. Former National Commission for Persons with Disability (KNPD) chairman Joe Camilleri had described the project at the time as “segregation by stealth” and stressed that “disabled people want to live, learn, work, and love in real communities not in some...