David Schembri
Petrol station recommended for Mepa approval in ODZ
The proposed petrol station will replace the existing one (above). Photo: Jason Borg
A service station and an adjoining showroom and workshop, planned to be constructed on virgin land at the outskirts of Mġarr, have been recommended for planning authority approval by Mepa’s case officer.
If approved by the authority’s Development Control Commission, the petrol station will replace one that lies in Mġarr square and will provide for five fuel pumps, a workshop, a store for agricultural machinery and tools, a showroom, an office, a car wash, a jet wash and a parking space built over 2,406 square metres of agricultural land.
The current petrol station is considered incompatible with its surroundings.
“The problem is Mepa is removing an eyesore and creating even a bigger one,” Mġarr resident Joe Attard said.
Mr Attard was also critical of the change in size of the petrol station: “At present there is only a garage of 150 square metres and an illegal scrapyard.”
In fact, the report by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority’s case officer highlights the illegalities on the present site, which, the report says, are meant to be “removed” as part of the relocation.
Mr Attard said: “The site he has chosen is semi garigue, semi agriculture land and is close to a massive vineyard. It is also situated on a slope where the valley starts. A large reservoir collects rainwater from both directions of the Żebbiegħ main thoroughfare and water finds its way to Għajn Riħana. This valley is one of a few we have in Malta that has water all year round, and the moorhen has been breeding in this valley for the past years.”
The area, which lies in an Outside Development Zone, is also host to two old ġiren (corbelled stone huts) which are protected property under the Environmental Protection Act.
Asked whether the ġiren would be safeguarded, a Mepa spokes-man said the authority was “investigating the case” and that it would appreciate “any information which can help the authority in its investigation”.
On how the authority could justify recommending for approval a larger development than the one which it was replacing, the spokesman said “there is an outline permit on site which the directorates are obliged to take into account”.
The case officer, among other things, looks at the recommendations of an Environment Impact Statement that was carried out as a condition of the outline permit.
The study involved a site selection exercise which determined that the site was the “most suited when assessed against a number of criteria”. The case officer also recommended landscaping to mitigate the visual impact of the development on the surrounding area.
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31 Comments
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David Camilleri
Jul 25th 2011, 21:15
mepa.......... what a joke...
Alexander Sciberras
Jul 25th 2011, 13:51
ODZ stands for OUTSIDE DEVELOPMENT ZONE.
Simple: Outside means OUT OF BOUNDS.
NO MORE PERMITS SHOULD BE AWARDED, IRRELEVANT OF THE APPLICATION
Dennis Zammit
Jul 26th 2011, 02:24
You are right.
But Transport Malta and ARRIVA went around MEPA's decision with regards the bus depot.
So why can anyone else do so? What is good for the goose should be goo for the gender. Is a Govt's organization about the law and MEPA?
Good to know . . . . next time I could need someone so powerful.
Kleaven Maniscalco
Jul 25th 2011, 13:21
ODZ does not really mean that absolutely nothing can be built on it....that is a misconception by the general public. As far as I am concerned it is far safer to have a petrol station in an ODZ than to have it in a schemed zone. I recall to the accident that happened not long ago in Birkirkara...that could have had much worse consequences. So in this case I think MEPA's decision is ok.
Mr John Borg
Jul 25th 2011, 14:43
Agree with your argument BUT, is there the need to use up 2,000 sq mtrs of land? Is there the need for a garage for agricultural vehicles and for car wash bays? It's Mgarr for crying out loud! Why not set-up two pumps along the roud and a small hut and that's it?
Astrid Vella
Jul 25th 2011, 20:29
Kleaven, as the MEPA Director said at the Arriva hearing, there are plenty of unbuilt sites that are not virgin land, let alone virgin land that includes two 'giren' and a water reservoir!
I. Cilia
Jul 26th 2011, 12:09
Ms Vella,
you and the MEPA director must have conveniently forgotten that land is not all public and this unused non virgin land might be the property of someone else... and does not want to sell..
what do you and the MEPA director want this chap to do? get him to sell his "spoilt" land just because you think that it is the right thing...
what i agree with you in this case, that if there are protected buildings (2 giren ) in this case, these should be protected...
Mr Ivan Calleja
Jul 25th 2011, 13:15
Another proposed huge development in an ODZ!!! Its becoming a craze now!!! And whats this reasoning that if we have to close a petrol station we have to open another one???? Mgarr is not a large urban centre, they can do without a petrol station....the one at mosta is only 2kms away!!! NO, NO NO for this DEVELOPMENT!!!
Mr pacifico galea
Jul 25th 2011, 13:12
Heqq nahseb li hemm xi ras kbira sewwa biex issir dan il bini bhal ma ga gara fil Bidnija fejn inqerdu numru ta sigar tal harrub fil pjazza tal bidnija u ftit lissfel gara listess bini mostrus tiela majlajr. Ara hawn tal Mepa ma hadux passi imma hargu il permessi avolja kien hemm sigar proteti
brian spiteri
Jul 25th 2011, 12:34
Mela ghax hemm hnizrija fil pjazza u scrap yard ILLEGALI ser noholqu hnizrija ohra f'post ta sbuhija sbuhija naturali. Flok il- gvern ha passi kontra dawn il-persuni talli fethu scrap yard illegali, ser jghatihom rigal, permess biex jifthu petrol station fuq ODZ, bicca art li probabbli xtrawha bl- irhis hafna peress li ma kienx jista isir zvilupp fuqha!! Riesqa l- elezzjoni u ser jibdew il-hnizrijiet!!
P Buħaġiar
Jul 25th 2011, 12:14
The area, which lies in an Outside Development Zone, is also host to two old ġiren (corbelled stone huts) which are protected property under the Environmental Protection Act.
As far as my knowledge in Maltese language we say Girna and not Ġirna. So plural we say 'żewġ Giren' and not Ġiren. This mistake appears frequently on newspapers for the area between Santa Lucia, Luqa and Gudja known as 'Ta Ġarnaw'. In some occasions on TV news and newspapers they call it as the area of 'Garnaw'.
Joe Attard
Jul 25th 2011, 11:54
Mr.Cilia contradicts himself in many ways.Thank God he is only ' just ' the occasional visitor he says he is.Looking only at Mosta and Naxxar,all petrol stations there are right in the middle of everything.What is Mepa going to do?Make them close?And what about the new Mellieha petrol station? Is `nt it close to the playing area there?Did the Mellieha residents voice their concern ,to no avail.? Unlike what Mr.Cilia tries to instigate,I have absolutely nothing personally against the applicant,and this I stated during the Mepa hearing recently.In my opinion, the case officer (urged by the need to have it removed) gave a poor ecological evaluation of the site and its surroundings.It is not in the middle of knowhere and people like myself live a stone throws away. And Mepa , apart from all the application fees and other dues, is also netting an extra Euro 26000 as planning gain (sic) The more ODZ`s the better.
Tragically,this is the fate of our environment. Zebbiegh is now the proud village with a new petrol station ,much to the delight of Mr.Cilia and his like.
Ms D Galea
Jul 25th 2011, 11:26
When is an ODZ not an ODZ please?
John Micallef
Jul 25th 2011, 10:49
So....Whos friend is this?
A. Tabone
Jul 25th 2011, 10:32
I cannot understand why everyone is complaining about this process. It is a case officer's duty to apply the existing rules to applications, to assess their merit and then issue a recommendation based on the facts as presented. It is then the DCC who decides on what is to be done.
That is the due process of law, in a country based on the rule of law. Any other suggestion that is not rooted in law is vindictive, at best.
I. Cilia
Jul 25th 2011, 10:28
I am always intrigued by the reasoning of people who have no idea what is happening...
I am a frequent visitor to Mgarr due to family connections living there, and used to live there in the past... I have to say that the current petrol station, is totally out of place, next to a children's play area, opposite the church, next to a bus stop etc etc
Now this Mgarr resident seems to be complaining.. for whatever reason I have no idea...
and before you mention smells, etc and views etc... the earmarked place is nowhere close to anything... it is currently unused agricultural land... fine the giren have to be preserved.. but all other mentions are entirely ridiculous...
and if you lived in mgarr, you know that the smells are not exactly rose scented smell... it is an agricultural village with all smells associated with it.... either you like it or you don't...
A petrol station's place is not in inhabited areas... god forbid an accident happens there... it will take out half the village...
its place is in an ODZ area, away from buildings and people...
and Mr attard, the valley is on the slope at the start of the valley.... pretty much everywhere in malta, is on a slope at the start of a valley... so please... provide better arguments..
my main one is this... better use some agricultural land, which is owned by the people that want to do this project after all (and not publicly owned) than have the current situation which is a horrible eyesore in the Mgarr square and a potential safety hazard... bang in the middle of the village..
So personally I would applaud MEPA if this decision is taken in favour... it is after all a need to have these type of developments.... it is not like having someone building a mega humungous housing project in an ODZ area.... maybe it is time environmentalists get out of their cave, start wearing clothes instead of animal skins and face the realities of life. that is where their credibility will increase...
Gordon Farrugia
Jul 25th 2011, 11:19
This eye sore is being proposed in an Outside Development Zone area do you hear? If you want a petrol station acquire land that is within the permit limits. One has to wonder the real agenda of the case officer for recommending this project - and whether he has a self-interest in the approval. He needs to be removed from this case and the project re-evaluated by a group of independent officers because I can't see how its even being considered?
Gonzi, where is the transparency you promised us? Where is the reform in Mepa apart from hiked fees? Somewhat when this administration mentions reform it always seems to just imply hiked fees for services or some other adverse effect (increase of pension age) without any actual reform!
I. Cilia
Jul 25th 2011, 12:46
ok Mr Farrugia..
where would you suggest putting such a development?
any development zone is bound to have buildings next to it.... families, kids etc..
stop being blinded by ODZ and not ODZ...
let me put similar scenarios... where would you build a sewage plant? in a development zone?
where would you build a desalination plant? in a development zone?
etc etc
Deo Catania
Jul 25th 2011, 12:59
Donnok qatt ma hrigt mid-dar Cilia biex qatt ma rajt pompa tal-petrol f'zoni residenzjali. iktar donnok ghandek interess qawwi li din il-pompa tiftah.
I. Cilia
Jul 25th 2011, 19:36
@ catania...
kemm int bravu... ghax qeghdin hemm diga ifisser li tajjeb li taghmel pompa tal petrol go nofs l abitat???
le le tirraguna hafna eh...
mela bl istess argument ghax hekk kienu jaghmlu qabel, naqbdu u nibnu fl ODZ bla razan ghax diga hemm nies hekk...
u madanakollu dejjem jekk fhimt sew fejn gejja hafna vicin iz zoni zviluppati... mhux qeghda go xi nofs ta bicca art vergni u ta importanza ecologika tipo xi natura 2000 site...
Gordon Farrugia
Jul 25th 2011, 09:56
a big NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Mr Andrew Azzopardi
Jul 25th 2011, 09:46
Lets ignore the fact that it is ODZ, why does a small village like mgarr require anything more than that? there is a much larger petrol station with all the mentioned facilities maybe 1-2km away!
Dennis Zammit
Jul 25th 2011, 09:43
Well, this is just like Arriva's Bus Depot which was ODZ and MEPA did not approve it.
They still managed to go around it as Transport Malta created the Marsa Park and Ride which is just a BUS DEPOT for ARRIVA!!!!!
The ONLY park and ride is for the ARRIVA's BUSES. At night, the park and ride is packed with buses. This is just an illegal bus depot!
ACTION PLEASE MEPA because ARRIVA fooled you.
Jonathan Bruno
Jul 25th 2011, 09:33
Such an upgrade is much needed for the Mgarr residents. I hope this is approved asap so that work can start.
Bernard Storace
Jul 25th 2011, 09:25
What is this facination with ODZ areas? Why is it that MEPA even contemplates them? And to build a petrol station with showroom, car-wash facilities etc just and directly opposite the church entrance is unthinkable. Think of the overpowering smell of fuel and oils, dirty water from the car-wash mixing with clean water that runs in the valley below etc.... and what about the open view that will be blocked forever? What has MEPA got to gain by allowing this structure? They should find an appropriate location and insist the garage etc is built there.
Mr Mark Vella
Jul 25th 2011, 09:54
Please note that this petrol station is being built in ODZ so that it won't be directly opposite the church entrance anymore, and not the other way round
Mr Paul Cassar
Jul 25th 2011, 09:13
THE PRIME MINISTER, SOME TIME BACK, SAID THAT ODZ SHOULD REMAIN ODZ.
HE ALSO SAID JUDGE ME BY WHAT I DO, NOT BY WHAT I SAY.
W'LL WAIT AND SEE............................THOUGH WE HAVE BEEN FOOLED TOO MANY TIMES NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
V
Mr Tony Gatt
Jul 25th 2011, 08:33
Strange that petrol stations are built where they are not wanted yet there isn't one in Marsascala where a petrol station definitely is.
Mr Paul Barrett
Jul 25th 2011, 08:23
ODZ should remain ODZ unless there is a really pressing need. Petrol Stations, Firework Factories etc where public health and safety are involved, should not be co-located with residential or built up zones and must of necessity be outside the normal development rules. Nothing is black and white and although we could probably do without a Firework Factory, a large number of people do in fact need Petrol Stations.
Mr Peter Murray
Jul 25th 2011, 08:10
Thank God for Mepa's reform and why have ODZ's if they are cavalierly and persistently abused or ignored?
Keith Buhagiar
Jul 25th 2011, 08:08
When will ‘ODZ’ areas start being treated as Non Development Zones?
With our ever-diminishing countryside area, can we afford to make more such mistakes?