Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1244022
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 MAY 2020 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The quarry belongs to Bilom, a major player in the construction industry. The omission from the PA's public information is the result of a new policy adopted last year, through which the regulator blocked public access to scores of applications deemed to be still "incomplete" and awaiting the submission of all documentation. The Wied Incita quarry was identified last week for the dis- posal of construction waste fol- lowing an agreement reached between the government and operators to fix the price of dumping to some €12 per tonne, after roadworks contractor were refusing to pay higher market rates. Added to the reluctance of quarry owners to open up for construction waste at lower rates, this created a situation where developers had nowhere to dump demolition and excava- tion waste. The issue came to a head last week when Infrastructure Mal- ta ordered all roadworks to stop until a solution is found. The opening of the Wied In- ċita quarry was met with severe criticism from former AD chair- person Arnold Cassola, who ac- cused government of gifting the quarry operator millions of euros despite an ongoing court case against the owner. Bilom plans a "proposed exten- sion" of the existing quarry for "quarrying purposes", the exca- vation of up to 20.7m above sea level, 'infilling' of the existing quarried area and the construc- tion of a garage for quarry-re- lated vehicles and machinery, which will have the same area as another building to be demol- ished. The proposal also refers to the construction of a rubble wall and landscaping and the relocation of the access for heavy vehicles "to reduce nuisance to residen- tial area", the construction of an internal road and installation of on-site temporary "container" office. Until Tuesday, MaltaToday could not access the documen- tation related to environmental impact studies due to an "in- ternal server error" on the ERA website, but the problem was lat- er resolved following queries by this newspaper. In its September 2019 screen- ing report, the ERA expressed its concern that the area iden- tified for the quarry's extension "has effectively already become part of the quarry and seems to be used as storage for machinery and infill material". ERA reiterated its objection to the practice of "committing a site for development in the absence of a permit and then applying for retroactive sanctioning". The ERA also expressed con- cern with the extent of the site boundary of the quarry when compared to that outlined by the South Malta Local Plan and a police permit. While the exten- sion to the east has no significant impacts, the natural areas to the west and north boundary of the site form part of the main Wied Incita watercourse and are there- fore "integral to the functioning of the valley, as well as to the conservation of the valley ecol- ogy, geomorphology and land- scape". "Before consideration of any further extensions, it is necessary to ensure adequate safeguards against additional damage to the valley system. Furthermore, the natural areas within the site that form part of the Wied Incita wa- tercourse should be restored to their pristine state and exclud- ed from the quarrying area," the ERA said. The report concludes that be- fore any consideration of any further extensions, it is necessary to ensure adequate safeguards against additional damage to the valley system. But the ERA also hinted that if its recommendations are ad- hered to the proposal can be rec- ommended favourably, mainly because the area is already domi- nated by mineral extraction, and the proposed extraction area is considered "marginal". Enforcement measures The quarry is in fact the subject of litigation filed by the Attard local council against the ministry and others, in which it is claimed, amongst other things, that the Wied Inċita quarry site is being illegally used for dumping of in- ert waste. The council had asked the courts to declare the structures already built on the site as hav- ing been built illegally, hold the defendants responsible for the damage caused to the valley and order them to stop dumping waste and expanding their foot- print. Back in 2016, Bilom had pro- posed the development of a huge industrial park for small and me- dium-sized enterprises equipped with an overlying solar farm over 158,000 square metres on the site currently taken up by quarries in Wied Incita, Attard. The development also foresaw the construction of a family rec- reational park and a retail outlet, all set on the 158,000 square me- tre tract equivalent in area to 22 football fields. But the applica- tion was withdrawn after strong opposition from Attard and Zeb- bug residents. Residents contend that the quarrying is too close to the res- idential area. Residents argue that since their dwellings are ap- proved by the Planning Author- ity, then it implies at both law and policy that the surroundings should be compatible with the residential nature of the area. The site has been subjected to a number of enforcement orders dating back to the 1990s but the illegalities in question have been removed according to details found on the PA's public infor- mation system. Wied Incita quarry subject of litigation by Attard local council