Malta currently has 14 development applications for fuel stations on land, which is classified as outside development zone. Nine of these are new stations and five are to replace those found in urban areas. All these new developments will consume 46,500m2 of land in addition to the 78 fuel stations that are already operating today. 

A new fuel station seen through its security fence just prior to opening in Burmarrad.A new fuel station seen through its security fence just prior to opening in Burmarrad.

The argument for new fuel stations is based on the ever-increasing number of registered vehicles, which in December 2018 stood at 385,326. In the last quarter of 2018, 69 vehicles were newly licensed every day. Seventy-eight per cent of all vehicles are passenger cars. The number of electric-powered cars was 926, making up less than 0.3 per cent of the total. 

Malta has the third highest number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants in the EU as well as the third highest number of cars that are 20 years old or older.

The development of new fuel stations further decreases Malta’s open space, which is already lacking, with 30 per cent of the total country’s surface developed. The development of such stations promotes a business that is predicted to decline significantly in the coming 20 years as Malta follows Europe in the banning of new fossil-fuel cars. 

This will mean fewer station customers spread over a higher number of businesses, resulting in lower income and potential closures. Once new land is developed, it is unlikely that it will be converted back to its original state for the benefit of all. 

Transport is one of the few sectors in the EU where emissions are growing. The EU believes that electric vehicle uptake is the main solution to halt this trend. 

Many EU countries have committed to ban new fossil-fuel vehicles from their roads: Norway and the Netherlands will do so by 2025, Germany by 2030, France and the United Kingdom by 2040, as well as non-European countries such as India and China by 2040.

Malta is also considering this, with the Environment Minister quoted as saying: “A ban on the sale of diesel and petrol cars could come into effect much closer than 2040.”

To mirror this shift in demand, all major car manufacturers have hybrid or electric car models in their range and plan to have a fully electric model range soon.

Malta is more suited for the adoption of electric vehicles due to its small size and therefore shorter distances. Indeed, the government has issued incentives for the purchase of electric cars and electric car sharing. 

In this context, there are only very short-term benefits to building further fuel stations and significant long-term issues. There needs to be a longer-term, holistic examination of transport-related policies, which include the use and type of passenger vehicles.

Any new policies should seek to promote sustainability, thereby reducing the number of cars  on our roads but also the type  of cars, thus reducing Malta’s CO2 footprint and the infrastructure required. 

Can our small, densely populated islands afford such massive land uptake especially as the need for fuel stations will decrease within a few decades?

A 3,000m2 service station in Burmarrad, St Paul’s Bay, is now complete. It was constructed in an area designated as agriculturally important in Malta’s North-West Local Plan and Outside (of a) Development Zone. This fuel station’s planning application was permitted  on the grounds that it was in an ‘Area of Containment’, next to a commercial establishment. 

The government’s Fuel Service Stations Policy states that new fuel stations will not be permitted within a distance of 500 metres from an existing fuel station. Yet despite there being a fuel station located 450 metres away, the Planning Directorate overruled and breached this policy. 

Mosta is the third most populous town in Malta. Its main road has two fuel stations nestled among the shops and terraced houses. The government introduced a policy that encouraged existing urban stations to relocate, which has a number of safety benefits. However, this increases the urban sprawl outside of town. As there are already fuel stations to the west and south of Mosta, both town centre stations could be closed down.

A new, yet-to-be-developed site in Magħtab has been earmarked for the move of an existing station out of the centre of Mosta. After the application in 2014 was turned down, an appeal led to this refusal being overturned and the application was approved. 

Mġarr is a typical, small, rural village situated in the northwest, surrounded by rich farmland. Its only fuel station is located in the village core, between the church square and a children’s playground. This fuel station was meant to be replaced by one nearby on the outskirts of Żebbiegħ, yet although works started in 2011, the site is still a gaping hole and nowhere near completion.

The benefits of moving a fuel station away from a village core need to be seen against the cost of the loss of a significant amount of agricultural land and placing an eyesore in a rural area. The above-mentioned cases perfectly demonstrate the controversy surrounding the balancing of these costs and benefits.

While it is important for a variety of reasons to relocate fuel stations outside of urban areas, it is also sad to note that such stations, which currently occupy a small area, are being replaced by stations each occupying up to 3,000m2 of space, 10 times larger than the ones they replace. 

Can our small, densely populated islands afford such massive land uptake? This is especially pertinent as the need  for fuel stations will decrease within a few decades.

Elise Muscat is a Junior College student participating in the Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programme.

This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece

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