Mepa concerned about new fish market's proximity to abattoir
The area near the abattoir in Marsa
Concerns about the proximity of the proposed new fish market to the abattoir in Marsa this morning led the Mepa board to postpone a decision on whether the new site is suitable.
The Resources Ministry wanted to move the fish market (pixkerija) from Grand Harbour to a state of the art facility in Marsa, next door to the abattoir.
However the Mepa board this morning said it wished to consult the Veterinary Service over whether there were any safety concerns because of the proximity to the abattoir. The issue will be discussed again by the board in a month's time. The board will, at that meeting, also discuss concerns about parking and plans to convert a nearby warehouse into a parking facility.
The new fish market will be located on the site of a former reverse osmosis plant, next door to the abattoir.
Funded mostly through the European Fisheries Fund, the new fish market will include six chillers instead of the current two, a processing and packaging plant, and a crate washing facility, among other services.
There will also be a fish shop for the public.
The current fish market building, on the water's edge close to the old Customs House, was built some 50 years ago and there are plans to convert it into a boutique hotel.
188 apartments instead of soft drinks plant
Mepa this morning also granted an outline permit for the building of 188 apartments and 300 garages on the site of the former General Soft Drinks plant in Qormi. The plant has been relocated to a nearby site.
The board agreed that water from a borehole on the old site may be piped to the new site as long as it is used only for industrial purposes.
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Daniel Camilleri
Sep 2nd 2011, 07:09
188 new flats, ! Who will buy these flats ? I can't understand investors continue to build residential blocks where there is oversupply. They should consider building offices with underground parking as in the central part of malta there a lack of supply of proper offices.
Victor Baldacchino
Sep 1st 2011, 17:01
Flats, flats, flats jistghu tal mepa jghidulna kemm ser ikollna bini f'malta?, meta din in- naqra ta gzira l-average tal familji naqas bil-kbir. X'ma kun hawnx stagnar fil bejgh.
Mr Joseph Calleja
Sep 1st 2011, 15:51
"Concerns about the proximity of the proposed new fish market to the abattoir in Marsa this morning led the Mepa board to postpone a decision on whether the new site is suitable." How considerate of Mepa? But then it is OK for Mepa to issue a permit to build a fish processing factory at Selmun, near Mellieha. Besides ruining the open Imgiebah Valley this factory is very close to a residential area? How ironic is that? Goody, goody for Mepa. Maybe not enough votes in the area? The old fish processing factory is located at Mistra Point and it was out of the way. Are we playing a bit of politics here, where, money talks and bullsh.t walks? What happened to the environmental NGO's on this new processing factory? Hellooooooo
Mr Joseph Calleja
Sep 1st 2011, 15:40
"Concerns about the proximity of the proposed new fish market to the abattoir in Marsa this morning led the Mepa board to postpone a decision on whether the new site is suitable." How considerate of Mepa? But then it is OK for Mepa to issue a permit to build a fish processing factory at Selmun, near Mellieha, close to a residential area? How ironic is that? Goody, goody for Mepa. Maybe not enough votes in the area?
Mr John Portelli
Sep 1st 2011, 13:38
Is it MEPA's competence to grant a permit for the use of a borehole? Is this not an MRA issue?
Please correct me if I'm wrong!
Will this company continue to extract the water for free to make money from a resource that belongs to all?
Also, why do we need another 188 flats? Is MEPA anticipating that in the coming future we will have so many people people living on the small island that it will absorb all the 75,000 vacant properties
And since when MEPA is concerned with safety concerns because of the proximity to the abattoir, when just a few weeks ago MEPA itself granted a cow farm next to 8 homes in Maghtab with the excuse that they live in an ODZ when in actual fact these resident live in a small village with a population of noting less than 230 inhabitants!
Have we not yet found our common sense?