A planning application to construct a fuel station on Mdina road, Attard, is set to be discussed by the Planning Authority on Thursday.
The application would relocate a kerb-side fuel station and ancillary services at 6, Valley Road Msida, to the Attard site.
The site in question is located outside the development zone and within Attard Local Council boundary. The site is characterized by undeveloped land with no defined physical boundaries with the exception of a rubble wall along the frontage on Triq l- Imdina and a small single storey stone building located on the southwest corner of the site which is now derelict. The western portion of the site is planted with vines. The eastern part of the site lies within the 300metre Groundwater Safeguard Zone. Access to the site is on Triq l- Imdina which is an arterial road forming part of the TEN-T network.
The proposal includes the relocation of a former kerbside fuel service station formerly on Triq il-Wied, Msida. This includes a tyre services garage that was ancillary to the service station. This kerbside fuel service station has already been decommissioned.
With regards to the footprint of the Mdina road site, the proposed fuel station consists of a gross floor area including landscaping of 2965sqm, 821sqm of which is dedicated for landscaping. The proposal includes a 17-car basement parking space area, 4 fuel pumps, a tyre service garage, two shops, four automatic car washes, two charging stations, and more at ground floor level. It also proposes a shop at first floor level.
The Environment and Resources Authority noted that the proposal is of significant concern from an environmental point of view, since the excessive scale of the proposed development/interventions will commit the whole site, which is presently rural land. ERA concluded that the current degraded state of the site simply highlights the need for land restoration and is not considered as a valid pretext for further ODZ development or as a valid baseline for assessment of impacts, the case officer’s report read.
The case officer has recommended that the proposal be refused.
The reasons for this proposed refusal are that the proposed fuel station is partly located within 300 meters from a groundwater source; the proposed fuel station is located within a 500 meters distance of an Existing Petroleum Filling Station; the proposal lacks the necessary information to enable further assessment in terms of transportation requirements; and the proposed shops are of an excessive scale and would lead to an over development of the site.