A revision of the controversial fuel station policy might turn out to be “too little, too late”, as Environment Minister Josè Herrera would not commit himself on whether the tighter regulations would apply to pending applications.
There are no fewer than 14 pending requests before the Planning Authority, covering a total area more than five times the size of the Floriana Granaries.
In answer to questions by the Times of Malta, Dr Herrera yesterday limited himself to saying he would be in a position to give further details following a briefing scheduled for Monday. The session will focus on the “environmental planning and legal” aspects of the proposed policy, he said.
Read: Where are all these petrol stations coming from?
He also insisted he had been handed the policy a fortnight ago, despite reports that the Environment Resources Authority had submitted the document two months ago. A ministry spokesman insisted such information was “factually incorrect”.
Sources who spoke to the Times of Malta on condition of anonymity, remarked that the new policy was a move in the right direction but, at the same time, expressed concern it was not bold enough.
“Unfortunately, proposals to set a capping on the number of fuel stations and a moratorium on pending applications until the new policy was out did not find enough support among board members to make it to the final document,” they noted.
A moratorium on pending applications until the new policy was out did not find enough support among board members
They expressed concern that the entire point of the revision, launched last January in the wake of a public outcry against the sprawl of fuel stations on sites outside the development zone, would be defeated if it did not apply to pending applications.
“Such a decision rests with the Environment Minister but if they are exempted it would render this policy a case of too little, too late,” the sources added.
The Sunday Times of Malta reported on Sunday that under the revised policy the overall maximum footprint of fuel stations would be cut by a third, down from 3,000 to 2,000 square metres.
It was also being recommended that the minimum distance allowed between two facilities would increase from 500 metres to 1.5 kilometres. The sources pointed out that another significant change that could be in the pipeline was dropping from the list of those eligible “sites opposite or adjacent to designated industrial areas as well as sites opposite or adjacent to areas of containment [industrial or commercially-related activities in areas outside the development zone]”.
“This means that controversial developments like the Burmarrad fuel station, which is still subject to appeal, would not have been allowed,” they said.
A Planning Authority hearing on an ODZ fuel station in Luqa was disrupted last Friday when activists from Kamp Emerġenza Ambjent staged a protest and insisted that no decisions should be made until the new policy was out.
Though the application had been recommended for approval by the PA’s case officer, the decision was postponed.
This course of action was taken in line with the law that regulates cases where there are indications that the majority of board members would vote against.