Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1241994
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 29 APRIL 2020 NEWS ANALYSIS Plans for mega fuel stations JAMES DEBONO MALTA'S new fuel stations pol- icy has effectively closed most the loopholes that the 2015 rules controversially had, and nips in the bud numerous applications still pending a decision. But the dilly-dallying in ap- proving the new policy before Aaron Farrugia took office as environment minister, means that at least four applications re- jected by the Planning Authority in the past months may yet be approved on appeal under the old policy. The Planning Authoriry board had refused a number of fuel stations, often under pressure of public outrage, by resting on generic policies included in the Strategic Plan for the Environ- ment and Development or local plans to circumvent the 2015 policy. The new rules will limit reloca- tions of urban pumps to spaces of just 1,000 square metres and only when the site is committed for non-agricultural develop- ment. Positively the new policy applies to all pending applica- tions. But it will not apply to at least four pending appeals still be de- termined by the 2015 policy: the rejection of mega fuel stations in Attard, Marsaskala, Zabbar and Maghtab. Farrugia correctly confirmed in an interview with MaltaToday that legally, the ap- peals tribunal will have to decide on the basis of the policy in place at the time of the board's refusal. But this is because the two- year delay in the approval of the new policy ensured these appli- cations were all determined un- der the old policy. This is why NGOs like Moviment Graffitti had originally called for a sus- pension of decisions on petrol stations until the new policy is approved. Neither is Farrugia responsible for the dilly-dallying during the last two years when planning fell under the responsibility of Ian Borg. Although the policy did legally require three rounds of six-week public consultations, a lot of time was lost in procrasti- nation in between these legally required public consultations, during which applications were still being determined right up to December last year. Approved under old policy The 2015 rules led to the ap- proval of four mega petrol sta- tions: two in Burmarrad, one in Luqa near the Water Services Corporation, and a smaller one in Marsaskala opposite the fam- ily park. Of these only one, the Burmarrad station opposite the Kiabi discount store, involved a completely new fuel station not relocated from an urban site. Another 3,000sq.m fuel station in Maghtab was approved in 2017 – only to be rejected again last year after being sent back to the PA board by an appeals board for the second consecu- tive time. A number of applications were rejected. The most controversial of these was development of a fuel station along the Rabat road in the vicinity of the St Mary of Victories chapel by Ludwig Camilleri. The pending appeals Under the new policy, Camill- eri's application would have been automatically refused be- cause the new rules will exclude petrol stations on agricultural land. Camilleri's appeal, filed by the former Planning Authori- ty CEO Ian Stafrace, disputes the refusal, reached because the How 2015 fuel policy rules impact on pending decisions, and why new rules will change plans The dilly-dallying in approving the new policy before Aaron Farrugia took office as environment minister, means that at least four applications rejected by the Planning Authority in the past months may yet be approved on appeal under the old policy