The planning authority is set to approve the construction of a controversial petrol station on ODZ land in Magħtab despite objections from residents, the local council, and Mepa’s own environment directorate.
The application, by Paul Abela, of Abel Energy, is to demolish two derelict farmhouses and build a fuel station with an electric car charging station, car wash, shop, car mechanic workshop, stores and a parking lot that would take 17 vehicles.
The case officer has recommended that Mepa approve the application in line with the new fuel service stations policy, which allows such facilities to be relocated to rural areas outside development zones.
There are 79 registered petrol stations in Malta, that is, one in every five square kilometres, compared to the European average of one every 41 square kilometres.
The proposed site is a 3,593-square-metre, triangular-shaped piece of land in Triq is-Salina and Trejqet l-Arznu, Naxxar, near the T’Alla w Ommu hill. Residents have complained that the site is directly adjacent to a number of homes and would bring with it a host of environmental issues including increased traffic, rural deterioration and noise pollution.
“The site is the lowest point of the valley immediately after T’Alla w Ommu [hill]. It is absolute madness and irresponsible to place such a facility in an area that is so prone to flooding,” said John Portelli, from the Magħtab Residents Association.
Mr Portelli said there were already five petrol stations, on top of one in the pipeline, in close proximity in Naxxar, Burmarrad and St Paul’s Bay.
In representations to the planning authority, the Naxxar local council argued that the application ran counter to the area’s local plan. The council raised concerns about pollution, the risk of contamination to the groundwater and the effect on nearby residences and agricultural fields. It said the project would also set a precedent, opening the way for possible future developments.
Mepa’s environment protection directorate also raised objections to the proposed development. It noted that the area was mainly characterised by industrial uses but, nevertheless, “considers the proposal as unacceptable from an environmental point of view given that it is located in a predominantly open and undeveloped rural area and involves excessive land take-up”.
Mr Abela declined to comment on the objections to his application when contacted. “Our proposal is in full compliance with the fuel stations policy,” he said.
“The Mepa procedure is open and transparent and we have gone through all the proper channels.”
Environmental NGOs had warned when the policy was approved that it risked giving rise to a new urban sprawl.
There are 79 registered petrol stations in Malta, that is, one in every five square kilometres, compared to the European average of one every 41 square kilometres.