The project application has already been turned down by Mepa but an Environmental Impact Assessment was requested and is now being considered.

The residents, helped by MP David Agius, PN councillor Herbert Messina Ferrante and Alternattiva chairman Harry Vassallo among others, object to the granting of a permit for health and other reasons.

They claim the air in the area is already heavily polluted by the high volume of traffic and will be made worse with a petrol station and the ensuing increase in benzene levels.

They also pointed out at the possibility of polluted rainwater seeping down to the nearby valleys and polluting the acquifer.

They questioned whether the proposed mitigation measures proposed by the Environmental Planning Statement would be effective and implemented.

Furthermore, they added that the site itself is outside the development zone and should be reserved for agricultural use.

They also pointed out that Mepa had already rejected an application for a car wash at the same site 10 years ago, it has taken enforcement action against an unauthorised car dealer located nearby and it has refused an application for the construction of a wedding hall opposite the proposed site.

Further arguments regard the nearby inmates of Mount Carmel Hospital. The residents on the one hand claim that the bright night lighting at the proposed petrol station may be of inconvenience to the Mount Carmel inmates, but then they also claim that Mount Carmel residents may misuse or accidentally damage the fuel station, particularly since the station will be unattended out of office hours. The residents also mention the recent incident where a patient injured police officers with a knife at the hospital entrance as an argument against the petrol station.

There is no valid justification for the project except to benefit the commercial circumstances of the proposed operator, the residents said, adding that an Aleppo pine will have to be cut down and they doubt the proposed four month time-frame for excavation works, add ed to which, agricultural land will be lost, and pleasant country views obliterated if the application goes through.