The Attard council has objected to plans for a two-storey cafeteria at the Pitstop Petrol Station on Mdina Road, on land outside the development zone.
The plans, which are still being assessed by the Planning Authority, would take up around 1,500 square metres of undeveloped land for the new catering facility and an additional parking area.
In its objection, the Attard council described the proposal as “an unjustifiable sprawl into existing ODZ land”, which it said would further contribute to the loss of the area’s rural character.
It also warned of increased air and noise pollution in a rural area.
“There is no justifiable planning reason for such proposal to be favourably considered,” the council said.
The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has also objected to the development, arguing that the proposed parking facilities – in what is currently an agricultural field – would result in further uptake of rural land and removal of soil from the site. The cafeteria proposal, it said, was “inappropriate” as urban, commercial developments should be restricted to within the development zone.
“All interventions proposed would result in increased site formalisation and contribute to the proliferation and intensification of built structures ODZ,” the authority said.
“Should this application be considered favourably, it would set a precedent for future similar development applications. Cumulatively, these buildings together with similar structures in the area contribute to a significant take up of rural land.”
The proposal comes as the PA continues to assess a separate application for a new fuel station, also on ODZ land, just 500 metres away along Mdina Road, to which the local council and environment watchdog are also objecting.
Environmental studies have concluded that the development would likely leave major negative impacts on the area’s agriculture, landscape and visual amenity, and result in the “permanent loss of potentially good quality agricultural land”.
In a recent objection, Din l-Art Ħelwa insisted dwindling agricultural land was not a suitable site for the development and that the relocation of fuel stations – in this case from a kerbside facility in Valley Road, Msida – should not be allowed on ODZ land.
A revision of the planning policy governing such relocations and new developments was announced last January but has yet to be concluded.