The Iklin Local Council is strongly objecting to a planned fuel station on tal-Balal Road, located on ODA land and which will take up 3,000 square metres of agricultural land.
The Malta Independent had first written about the application in January of this year.
The council says the proposal goes against planning policies and the existing fuel station policy, which is up for revision. It also says the project would risk contaminating fresh water reserves. The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) says the planned project cannot be justified while other eNGOs, such as Nature Trust Malta, have also registered as objectors.
The Iklin council said the town’s rural area is steadily being taken up for development which should be located within the Development Zone, or in areas specifically designated for that type of development. It said there is no legitimate reason why this petrol station should be located on this ODZ site.
The council said the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED) 2015 advocates a sequential approach to the use of land, with the aim of ensuring the sustainable use of land resources and the efficient use of available space. This approach aims to safeguard rural areas, where land take-up should only be considered ‘as a last resort and where it is essential for the achievement of sustainable development.’
Furthermore, the Fuel Service Stations Policy 2015 identifies the preferred locations for petrol stations. The proposed site is not included as one of these preferred locations, the council said, asking whether a proper site selection exercise has been conducted.
The site also lies within a Protected Area of Hydrological Importance, as identified in the Central Malta Local Plan 2006, and the southeastern part of the site lies within the Groundwater Safeguard Zone, as indentified on the Planning Authority’s geoportal.
The council said it was concerned over the potential contamination impacts on groundwater, especially given the nature of the proposed development. The existing fuel stations policy, it said, states that fuel stations “should not be located within 300m from groundwater intended for human consumption or intended for future use, such as boreholes, underground galleries of pumping stations and spring valley systems.”
It also pointed out that the proposed fuel station is just 297 metres away from an existing petrol sation. Policies state that new fuel stations should not be located within 500m if an existing petrol station.
The council said that should the permit be approved the project would result in the loss of flora and fauna, the loss of the eco-system services provided by the site, the loss of soils and the potential for the site to be returned to agriculture, as well as the loss of rubble walls. There would also be a negative impact on air quality.
The council also quoted from the ERA report: “ERA considers that there is no overriding justification for the further loss of natural land and associated environmental impacts to accommodate a commercial use outside the zones that are officially permitted for development.”