The government said it would appeal against a planning authority decision granting the Freeport a permit to repair oil rigs after Times of Malta reported yesterday that the decision breached planning policy.
It said similar permits were issued in the past for works on very specific projects.
“The government does not agree that this system should be changed and that the Freeport should be given an open permit for these works,” it said in a statement.
For the Freeport to extend its activities from the transhipment of containers to the maintenance of oil rigs, a new application was required to revise its existing development permit. This was confirmed by Alternattiva Demokratika deputy chairman Carmel Cacopardo and Nationalist Mepa board member Ryan Callus, who voted against the permit.
It was still approved by six votes to three – the NGO representative and the two political party members on the board voted against. The rest of the government-appointees on the board voted in favour despite strong opposition from the Birżebbuġa local council.
Joseph Sammut, the PL Mepa board member who also voted against, contested the last elections on the fifth district that includes Birżebbuġa.
Mr Cacopardo, who was present at the Mepa board meeting to defend the local council’s objections, said that when he raised the need for a new development permit to extend Freeport activities he was told by the environment directorate they had sought the advice of the planning division, which said there was no such need.
He said the current uses of the Freeport are already an issue with the Birżebbuġa community. When some four years ago the Mepa board was considering an extension to the Freeport Terminal, which was also opposed by the local council, a condition was inserted in the developement permit on the duty to establish an environmental management system.
Subsequently, a tri-partite monitoring committee to oversee the implementation of the environmental permit conditions was set up. This is made up of Mepa, Freeport, the local council and the Birżebbuġa Environmental Action Group.
Mr Cacopardo sits on the monitoring committee and said that since its inception various meetings were held and various environmental issues requiring attention were identified.
Noise and light pollution and dredging works were first on the list.
“These issues are being tackled but none solved yet. Nor is a possible definite solution in sight. In view of the level of cooperation to tackle these pending issues, the new environment permit was uncalled for,” he said.
In a statement, Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola said despite the objections, Mepa has once again bowed to pressure and approved a project that runs contrary to the residents’ wishes and once again ran roughshod over all opposition.