The Planning Authority on Thursday approved a controversial application for the development of a petrol station on a site outside the development zone in Luqa.
Another application for a new petrol station in Mosta was rejected.
The PA board approved the permit by seven votes in favour and four against, with the nay-sayers being board chairman Vince Cassar, Environment Resources Authority chairman Victor Axiaq, NGO representative Annick Bonello and Opposition representative Marthese Portelli.
Labour MP Clayton Bartolo was among those who voted in favour, while independent represenative Timmy Gambin - who voted against the project some weeks ago - was absent, although he had indicated that he was going to vote against.
At the first hearing on April 5, exactly half the PA board members stated their intention to go against the case officer’s recommendation and reject the application, forcing a postponement.
Read: Planners to decide on two ODZ fuel stations
During the hearing, the project architect challenged the reasons for refusal the board had given, insisting that the agricultural land was of low quality – and therefore not protected by the policy. He also said that the layout of the station would not take up more than the allowed 3,000 square metre footprint, leaving room at the back of the site to potentially plant a green buffer zone.
The applicant's lawyer, Shazoo Ghaznavi, also insisted it had been “illegal” to include in the reasons of refusal allegations by activists of collusion between developers and the PA, as the law states that all decisions had to be based on “specific planning reasons”.
Dr Ghaznavi added that there was no legal basis for the application to be suspended due to the policy review, as applications had to be assessed on the basis of existing policies.
Moviment Graffitti spokesman Andre Callus noted that PA executive chairman Johann Buttigieg had said in the preceding hearing that the policy was not intended to relocate stations that were no longer in use. Mr Callus stressed that, in the same way, the Savoy fuel station hadn’t been used for years and that the applicant bought the licence after he submitted the application.
Mr Buttigieg responded that the cases were different as, although disused, the Savoy station remained on site and could be reactivated at any time. He insisted the application was “totally compliant” with policy.
Meanwhile, the PA board rejected the application for another fuel station at Tal-Blata L-Għolja, Mosta as the site is not located on an arterial or distributor road, as required by policy, and exceeds the maximum footprint of 3,000 square metres.
The applications are among at least 14 for new or relocated stations outside development zones which have been submitted or approved since the policy was introduced in 2015, amounting to an area of land more than five times the size of the Floriana Granaries.