Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1204548
7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 JANUARY 2020 NEWS OPEN PUBLIC CONSULTATION In 2005, the Planning Authority had approved a document which set out a planning policy framework for implementing the land use planning objectives of the Seveso II Directive. The purpose of this policy document was to control development close to installations which use or store hazardous substances, so as to reduce the number of people at risk and to reduce the likelihood and the extent of harm if an accident occurs. The Seveso II Directive has been subsequently replaced by Seveso III Directive (EU Council Directive 2012/18/EC). As a result, the Planning Authority is obliged to carry out a review of the 2005 Planning Policy. For this reason, the Authority is publishing the objective for public consultation: To transpose and implement Article 13 of the Seveso III Directive. The public is being invited to submit and comments on the objective. Representations are to be made in writing and sent through e-mail address: seveso@pa.org.mt Submissions are to reach the Authority by 03rd February 2020. Review of the Supplementary Planning Policy Guidance on Major Accident Hazards and Hazardous Substances (2005) HAVE YOUR SAY (Phase 1) www.pa.org.mt PLANNING AUTHORITY MOVIMENT Graffitti has called for the approval and im- plementation of the revised fuel station policy, expressing dis- appointment with the fact that two years had already passed to the day of a new revised policy being submitted. Former environment minister José Herrera submitted the re- vision on 25 January 2018, ask- ing for the fuel stations policy to be revised. "Exactly 738 days have passed since the announcement that this policy, which is hardly four pages long, was going to be re- vised. During a direct action at the Planning Authority last March, we started counting the passing days on this timer http://www.pompitimer.org. Little did we know that to this day we would still be counting," Graffitti said in a statement. The original 2015 policy had led to a great deal of contro- versy over its potential to allow large petrol stations in land outside development zones (ODZ). "This same policy permits the development of new fuel sta- tions which could be as large as 3,000sq.m and which very often also include other facili- ties such as a car wash service, a mechanic's garage, shops, an ATM and a cafeteria. This is nothing but an easy way of ob- taining a permit to build a com- mercial centre on ODZ land," Graffitti said. While the revision of the pol- icy remains unfinalised, more applications for fuel stations to be relocated from village cores into ODZ sits are being submit- ted. "There is no need for such massive fuel stations, especially considering that the authorities have indicated their intention to shift to electric cars," Graf- fitti said. The draft of the revised poli- cy has already passed through three stages of consultation. The last one closed last No- vember. However, despite this lengthy process, the new policy has yet to see the light of day. According to this draft, many pending applications would be rejected because they would not be in conformity with the new requirements. However, this depends on whether the Planning Author- ity chooses to decide on these applications before the new policy is approved. "A recent application for a fuel station is that of Siġġiewi. The so called 'relocation' of this fuel station is absurd, con- sidering that the new station will be ten times bigger than it is at present (from 160sq.m to 1600sq.m) and built on ODZ agricultural land to include a garage, an office, a shop, a car wash and an ATM. This land forms part of Wied Xkora, that the Planning Authority itself acknowledges, needs to be regenerated. We cannot understand how this massive development would in any way lead to the regeneration of this valley. " According to the draft of the new policy, this application would be refused. However, since this is not yet in place, the application is being pro- cessed on the basis of the ex- isting policy. "The same thing is happen- ing with regards to the reform of the Rural Policy which was the cause of various controver- sial developments such as the infamous case of Qala. Despite promises that this will be re- vised, this reform is taking place behind closed doors by the Dean of the Faculty of Law and we do not know whether any progress has been made, let alone when it will come into effect." JAMES DEBONO THE relocation of Siggiewi's ur- ban petrol pump to the village's outskirts has overcome an obsta- cle for its new siting, despite the discredited fuel pump policy still under review. The land outside development zones identified for the Mall- ia petrol station has now been deemed as being "not of good quality", fulfilling one of the cri- teria of the policy regulating fuel stations and their relocation to larger areas outside village cores. But a revised policy is still awaiting final approval from the government – one which ex- cludes the development of petrol stations on agricultural land irre- spective of the quality of the land, and which would apply to all pending applications, making the Siggiewi application a non-start- er. The Environment and Resourc- es Authority has already warned that given that the Fuel Service Station Policy is currently under review "the [Siggiewi] proposal is considered premature". But in its comments on the ap- plication, the PA's agriculture advisory committee said that while it "objects in principle" to any development on agricultural land that is unrelated to agricul- ture, it found the soil to be only "marginally suitable for agricul- tural production", with the main limitations being "the moisture deficit and state of the soil". In view of this the committee concluded that "the land does not constitute good quality agri- cultural land". Transport Malta has also issued its clearance for the develop- ment. The Mallia petrol station wants to move off the kerbside adja- cent to the St Mary Chapel in the Siggiewi square, to a 1,600sq.m site along Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi road. Architect and former PN envi- ronment minister, George Pul- licino, who is representing the owners, justified the choice of the site due to its close proximity to a large disturbed area, which un- til a few years ago was an active quarry, and was consequently filled up and is now littered with debris or abandoned vehicles, abandoned machinery or other bulky refuse. But the same report acknowl- edges that the site is within an ag- ricultural zone which consists of "non-irrigated agricultural land with some citrus, pomegranate and olive trees." The local plan itself envisages the rehabilitation of the area in which the petrol station is being proposed through "environmen- tal management plans", yet the developers say that since the site lies on a main thoroughfare "it definitely is not really part of the rural environment which these plans were intended to address in a positive manner". The ERA has insisted that there is "no valid justification for the further loss of undeveloped ru- ral land" to accommodate the development of "a significantly enlarged fuel station beyond the development zone boundary". It also said the project will require an environment impact assess- ment. Siggiewi pump relocation could be possible Fuel pump policy revision: 738 days and counting The proposed Siggiewi fuel pump station