With the Pama shopping complex going strong at one end Mosta will soon balance that out with a Lidl supermarket at the other end.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority board today gave the green light for a new Lidl supermarket to be developed on the site of an existing concrete brick manufacturing plant in the limits of Mosta.  It will be just in front of the MCAST facility at Targa Gap on Triq id-Difiza Civili.

The new development occupies an area of approximately 8,700m² in a designated ‘Area of Containment’, an already disturbed area , and will include the main supermarket facility together with storage areas, a bakery, un/loading area, an office, staff facilities and 174 car parking spaces. The built up area will account for 27% of the total site area. This is far below the area that can be developed.

Although an outline planning permit, issued last year, had given the applicant the right to build on a larger built up footprint, the applicant decided to downsize the built up footprint by almost 9%.

So as to aid vehicular access to the site, the MEPA board imposed a a bank guarantee of €50,000 to ensure that a roundabout in Triq id-Difiża Ċivili is implemented as part of the project.

The site is not near any residential area but Mosta mayor Edwin Vassallo complained that although the local council does not object to this development, it would have preferred the applicant approaching the council and showing them the plans as Pama had done with the previous council.

This caused an exchange of sorts with the Mepa chairman who said the local council is notified of any applications in its locality and can raise objections.

Mr Vassallo rebutted it is difficult to identify what he termed big projects from the many small applications.

Chairman Vince Cassar said that with the change in the law, as from March a representative of the local council sits on the board when such an application is being considered.

The Board also granted an Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) permit to Wasteserv’s Thermal Treatment Facility in Marsa. Through this permit, WasteServ, is obliged to operate this incineration plant for hazardous wastes and animal by-products using the best available techniques for preventing or, where that is not practicable, reducing emissions from their installation.