A planned fuel station outside development zones in Marsascala could be allowed to grow by two-thirds before it has even been built.
The Planning Authority controversially issued a permit for the fuel station on 1,500 square metres of agricultural land in Triq Sant’Antnin last December, overruling the objections of the Environment and Resources Authority.
But just five months later, on May 24, the developers were back with a new application – which will be formally published today – to extend the fuel station by 1,000 square metres.
The extension, yet to be assessed by the PA, is intended to house a new car wash, an expanded shop and new parking spaces.
The same applicants, the Schembri Barbros group, also have a pending application for a 10,000 square metre shopping complex instead of a disused quarry 150 metres down the same road.
The fuel station approved in December, located opposite the Marsascala Family Park, includes a back office, a shop, two garages and VRT and car services facilities, aside from the fuel pumps.
It drew objections from the ERA due to the take-up of agricultural land, which the regulator said would contribute to increased urban sprawl and “set a precedent for the development of similar proposals within the rural area”.
It further warned of negative visual impacts, particularly from the Belvedere next to Sant’Antnin chapel, as well as potential pollution of the local hydrology and sea-level aquifer.
The planning watchdog nevertheless approved the application against a one-time planning gain of €50,000 to compensate for the environmental impacts.
The new application comes in the context of an ongoing review of the controversial 2015 fuel stations policy, under which permission for the Marsascala facility was originally granted.
ERA proposals for the revision would limit outside development zone projects to extensions of existing fuel stations and reduce the maximum size of new stations from 3,000 to 2,000 square metres, among other limitations.
Since the introduction of the policy, the PA has approved four ODZ fuel stations on a total of 12,000 square metres of agricultural land in Luqa, Burmarrad, Marsascala and Magħtab, the last of which prompted Environment Minister José Herrera to call for the policy review in January.
The 12 applications still pending include proposals in Burmarrad, Żejtun, Rabat Road in Attard and several others that collectively would take up an additional area of more than 52,000 square metres.