Mepa revokes car wash planning permit

A planning permit granted in September 2010 for the construction of a car wash facility on a vacant site outside development zone in Birkirkara was today revoked by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

Mepa said in a statement the Planning Directorate started investigating the case after it was notified that the 'approved' Transport Malta plan was not TM's official position.

The outcome of this investigation showed that the DCC was misguided when deciding on this case since the TM plan was not an official TM document of Transport Malta.

Prior to the DCC's decision in 2010, the Planning Directorate had recommended that this application be refused because the proposed car-wash facility was to be situated within an area designated for future sports facilities/activities.

It had also noted that the proposed car-wash would have a significant and unacceptable impact on the road network in the area.

Last week, the authority referred the case to the police for investigation.