Wied Għomor in St Julian’s has attracted yet another development application, this time for a 25-metre greenhouse and to turn a rural room into a water reservoir.

The application is the umpteenth in the valley running across San Ġwann, Swieqi and St Julian’s.

It seeks planning permission to remove an existing rural room, excavate and construct a water reservoir, build a tools room, install a timber gate, arrange soil levels and form a new ramp along the whole length of the field to provide access to lower field level where the applicant is planning to erect a “fully-demountable” greenhouse.

According to the submitted plans, the greenhouse will be 25 metres long.

Read: Will Wied Għomor be gobbled up by development?

Situated in Triq il-Bies in San Ġwann, the field in question is located outside the development zone, within the buffer zone of Wied Għomor, considered to be an area of ecological importance.

Among the various representations received by the Planning Authority to turn down the application was one from Superintendence of Cultural Heritage which said the site was close to an area where archaeological remains such as cart ruts were discovered.

“The superintendence notes the impact the development will have on the countryside and the cultural landscape, as well as the ecological area. Nevertheless, the Planning Authority is to ensure that any development is in keeping with policies for the zone and with policies and guidelines intended to protect the natural and cultural landscape,” it said.

Residents quoted PA policies that prohibit “development in rural areas which will adversely affect the scenic value of an area”.

One resident who objected to the application told the Planning Authority that “Giant glass boxes in a small valley is not scenic”.

Other residents complained that planning permits granted in the area had a number of conditions which had not been respected, so much so that an underground was not only above ground but even had a door installed at one end. 

“It is clear that this area of ecological importance necessitates that the PA protects it from such abuse,” they said.

They also claimed that the land was not suitable for cropping and would require further interventions that mean additional environmental impact.

The proposals include flattening the fields on this steeply sloping hillside in order to provide a level base for the greenhouse. The objectors said that to do so, the applicant would need to raise the levels at the lower end of the sloped field by 7.5 metres.

The PA’s Agricultural Advisory Committee said in its submissions that the applicant, Emanuel Micallef, as well as the site in question were not registered with the Agriculture Directorate.

 

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