Malta

I just love these gems. If you read this article from Malta, nowhere will you see the child as the center of a single thing. Of course the building has to be acceptable to school a child, but in this article, I keep reading dog - not child. The thing to remember is childcare is a clean business - it closes early. There is no nightlife to childcare. When neighborhoods balk at a proposed family childcare, what are they balking at? The presence of children. Children are our future, and the idea that they "muss up the neighborhood" is a frightening one.

Judy

The Malta Independent St. Julians Malta

A set of guidelines aimed at ensuring that child day-care facilities are appropriately located, have the necessary amenities and do not impact negatively on the neighbourhood, has been published by MEPA for public consultation.

Child day-care facilities are primarily community-care facilities and are therefore being considered separately from kindergartens. Child day-care facilities are becoming an increasingly important pillar of the net of community-care services, supporting Maltese families and ensuring the welfare of Maltese children.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) has approved draft supplementary planning guidelines on the development of child day-care facilities, to ensure that these are sited in the right location and in suitable buildings, that the needs of the children and the parents are met, and that the amenity and character of the surrounding location is safeguarded.

This policy applies to all nurseries, child-minding and day-care facilities. It applies also to entities that cater for children under three years of age, whether home- or centre-based, and fall within Use Class 8 (Education) of the Use Classes Order (LN 53 of 1994) and its future revisions. The Guidelines identify the main planning issues associated with this activity, with a view to addressing them through updated policies.

These considerations include:• Location;
• The suitability of the premises;
• The scale of development and its potential impact on neighbours.

In terms of location, the guidelines list the zones in which MEPA will favourably consider applications for the development of child-care facilities, which depend on the size of the operation.

In terms of suitability of the premises, the guidelines indicate that this issue will largely be assessed by the Department for Social Work Standards. However MEPA will accept development situated in certain types of premises that ensure the protection of the amenity of neighbours and the protection of cultural heritage.

Finally, in terms of the scale of development, the guidelines set out what type of parking provision and drop-offs different sizes of development would be required to provide.

MEPA would welcome submissions on the contents of the Draft Guidelines (see www.mepa.org.mt). These can be sent via email to childdaycare@mepa.org.mt, or by post to: The Director of Planning, PO Box 200, Valletta CMR 01.

Submissions may be made until Wednesday 7 December.