The planning authority yesterday hit back at allegations made by Fisheries Cooperative president Ray Bugeja over the floating gas storage facility planned for Marsaxlokk Bay.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority said that no one could expect it to stop considering the storage facility application on baseless and unfounded allegations.

Mepa was replying to a judicial letter by Mr Bugeja and his wife Gabriele, who said they were acting as the “voice” of Marsaxlokk residents objecting to the facility.

He said residents were hurt and disappointed as they had been promised one thing and given something completely different.

In a judicial protest, Mepa said the Bugejas were not registered third party objectors.

It was inexplicable that the couple had not decided to join the process when they had every legal right to do so.

The couple were asking for the development to be stopped until a maritime impact assessment was carried out but international experts in the field had completed a number of other studies.

Contrary to what was alleged, Transport Malta had drawn up several reports and had cleared the process to begin.

Mepa said while the couple alleged a report by consultant George Papadakis did not consider an ignition point at the gas release point, their argument was flawed because the storage facility would store liquid fuel, which had no possibility of exploding in that form.

It said every application was considered, researched, determined and finalised on its own merits and no one could stop the process, especially when the authority was going through a meticulous procedure. Lawyers Robert Abela and Ian Borg signed the protest.