The highly controversial fuel station policy could strike again this Thursday, as yet another application for the relocation of a station is up for discussion by the Planning Authority Board.
The Savoy petrol station located on Rue d’Argens could move to ODZ land in Luqa, should a planning application be accepted by the PA Board.
The proposed site lies just off Triq Hal Qormi, Luqa, an arterial road between Qormi and Luqa. The site in question is also located in front of the entrance to the Luqa industrial zone, known as Hal Farrug. The latter is an industrial estate housing a number of small and medium industries. The site is irregularly shaped and surrounded with a rubble wall around the perimeter of two fields. The approximate area of the proposed development is 3,000 sq metres. Currently the site consists of a number of abandoned fields along with a dilapidated agricultural room. Development in the surroundings is characterized by industrial, residential and agricultural uses.
The Case Officer’s report reads: “This is a full development application for the construction of a fuel station and ancillary facilities. The proposed works include: Car wash and drying areas; Pumping station; Tyre service garage; Class 4B Shop (on two floors); VRT Garage; LPG tank; Electrical vehicle charging point; ATM facility; and car parking spaces. Lightweight canopies are being proposed as to cover the fuelling, the car wash and the drying areas.”
The controversial fuel station policy has been the subject of many articles, and has been highly criticised by environmentalists. A review of this policy is currently meant to be taking place. Some highlight that the policy is leading to urban sprawl, while others like AD Leader Carmel Cacopardo, said it would make more sense to turn urban stations into charging stations rather than relocate them as fuel stations, given Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s announcement last September that he will launch a consultation on Malta's future regarding switching over to electric vehicles.
A number of NGOs have objected to this Luqa application for several reasons. BirdLife Malta, according to the case officer’s report, said that the lack of mitigation measures for “the loss of 3,000sqm agricultural land for the main construction, and additionally two adjacent fields having a total area of 4,816 are unacceptable.”
BirdLife noted that the region has sufficient supply of car service and petrol stations with six petrol stations located in nearby areas of Qormi, Luqa and Hal Farrug.” There is no justification to take up more agricultural land for another petrol station in the proposed area. - sealing the underlying soil of the proposed petrol station leads to further soil degradation, which is known as being a major threat of affecting fertile agricultural land, putting biodiversity at risk, increasing the risk of flooding and water scarcity as well as contributing to global warming.”
Din L-Art Helwa made similar objections. “Din l-Art Helwa (DLH) would like to express its concern regarding the application in caption. The area of the proposed petrol station is of 3300sqm in ODZ, close to the Water Services in Luqa and includes several commercial uses. The relocation of a petrol pump in a street certainly does not justify the loss of more than 3,000sqm in ODZ, and DLH would like to strongly object to the approval of the ancillary facilities that are proposed in this application, and which were not present in the previous petrol station.”
The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) notes that the proposal “is of significant environmental concern in view of the excessive scale of the proposed development which is seeking to commit circa 3,000 square metres of open agricultural land. Approval of this development would also result in the introduction of new commitment and further uptake of the remaining rural land in this particular area. ERA also considers that the proposal for the construction of a number of buildings intended for urban-type/ commercial-type activities (e.g. class 4b shop, tyre service, VRT garage, etc.) would result in further unacceptable proliferation and intensification of additional large-scale physical developments in this remaining rural area. ERA is also concerned that the permitting of such proposal would also create a precedent for similar/other developments along this arterial road (Triq Hal Qormi) and within this particular area which acts as a gap between two industrial areas.”
“ERA considers that most of the impacts raised by the Environment Planning Statement (EPS) are either of limited significance (e.g. rock-cutting, impacts on hydrogeology) or can be addressed through adoption of appropriate operation practices (e.g. benzene concentrations) and the introduction of appropriate stringent mitigating measures. But on the other hand, ERA considers that impacts relating to uptake of undeveloped land and visual amenity, which were already foreseen prior to the EPS, cannot be effectively mitigated. Despite the fact that such development may satisfy certain requirements stipulated under the policy herewith being analysed and applied, yet still ERA considers that there is no overriding justification for the further loss of rural land and associated environmental impacts in order to accommodate a commercial use outside the zones that are officially committed for development,” the case officer’s report read.
The Fuel Service Stations Policy indicates a number of designated areas which are potentially considered to be suitable to accommodate fuel stations without creating adverse incompatibilities, the case officer’s report notes. The areas indicated in the Fuel Service Stations Policy include site opposite to or adjacent to designated industrial areas, the case officer noted. “The site under consideration is situated opposite to a designated industrial area and as such could be considered to be suitable to accommodate fuel stations.”
The case officer’s report noted that the proposal is also in line with other policy criteria in terms of site area effected by development, since it does not exceed 3,000 sqm and the height of the overall structures are 7m from the highest site level.
The case officer concludes that the principle of the proposed development had been determined through the established criteria as set out in the Fuel Service Station Policy in terms of acceptable location, sitting, design criteria and access arrangements with respect to the site context, and recommended that the application be approved.