A concrete brick factory will be built in a disused Siġġiewi quarry next to the Ta’ Kandja water gallery.

The quarry will be lined and sealed with concrete slabs to prevent any possible leaks from machinery from seeping into the ground. The factory will be covered with slabs and be completely invisible at street level.

Case officer Karl Scerri told a Mepa sitting yesterday the original application for a permit dated back to 2003 and had been considered by the previous board of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

The applicant had filed a request for reconsideration after it had been refused on grounds that it was too close to the Ta’ Kandja galleries, among other reasons.

At a depth of 100 metres, the galleries are an important source of groundwater for Malta, accounting for eight per cent of total extraction.

This was the last pumping station built, having been completed in 1963.

Ta’ Kandja has six galleries, covering a distance of 6.2 kilometres, forming part of a bigger network that is 42 kilometres long.

Mr Scerri said the main objection to the application came from the Malta Resources Authority. However, it eventually cleared the project after the factory site was relocated to another part of a quarry and a number of conditions were imposed.

New plans were submitted and part of the site was rehabilitated with a section transformed into an orchard.

Architect Charles Buhagiar pointed out there were tarmac and batching plants nearby so the area was already committed to industrial use. In fact, it was earmarked for small and medium enterprises.

The Mepa board unanimously agreed to issue the permit.

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