Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1466490
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 MAY 2022 10 NEWS JAMES DEBONO THE developers of a massive solar farm that could stretch over Mgarr fields the length of six football pitches, have ap- pealed a refusal from the Plan- ning Authority. The PA planning board's unanimous decision was in line with its solar farm policy, which clearly states such farms should not take up virgin or agricultural land, but be lo- cated on large-scale rooftops, car parks, industrial areas, and quarries. Meanwhile, the rural policy only allows small-scale photovoltaic panels on green- houses. The decision on the unpopu- lar proposal, which was met by thousands of objections, was taken on 3 March during the first week of the electoral cam- paign. But in their appeal, Electrofix owners Joseph Schembri and Christian Micallef claim they have formulated new plans following 'discussions' with the energy and economy min- istries, and the department of agriculture. The latest plans seen by Mal- taToday envisage the erection of 6,528 panels on 18,760sq.m of land, which represents 42% of the 44,500sq.m site. The plans rejected by the PA envisaged 5,784 solar panels erected on 90 greenhouses over 14,100sq.m of land – a land coverage of 32%. But while the latest plans actually envisage more panels, the layout leaves room for a central plot of ag- ricultural land. Moreover, the height of the panels was re- duced from 4.5m to 4m. In their appeal, the develop- ers claim the greenhouses will be used to grow "extensive amounts of crops which will be put on the local market for sale, while the solar activity will also be used to lower the com- mercial cost of the agricultural produce apart from contribut- ing to the national electricity grid." Plans refer to the growth of vegetables like lettuce, toma- toes, eggplant, peppers, auber- gines, ginger, herbs, cabbages, strawberries as well as snails. The greenhouses will be placed into the ground using small concrete plinths to ensure that no damage is done to any ar- chaeological remains. To circumvent the existing policy against solar farms on agricultural land, the company is now claiming that the main aim of their proposal is to "re- invest in the agricultural ac- tivity and making the produce more financially viable." They also state that they are willing to accept conditions to ensure that should the agricultural ac- tivity stop, the solar activity is stopped as well. In their appeal the developers insist that they were already changing their plans before the PA planning board's hearing, but their request for a suspen- sion was denied. In its electoral manifesto the Labour Party vaguely proposed a "study on agricultural pro- jects which could also serve as a source of renewable energy but in a way which does not im- pact on agricultural produce." Not really downsized: Mgarr solar farm developers appeal planning refusal Developers claim Mgarr solar farm 'downsized' after talks with ministries, but plans show increase in panels from 5,784 to 6,528 Before and after: there are more solar panels in the new plan for a solar farm JAMES DEBONO THE Italian low-cost super- market giant Eurospin is behind plans to develop a supermarket on the 6,544sq.m site of the Bezzina & Sons shipyard along the Aldo Moro Road in Marsa. The company has already pre- sented plans to demolish the existing industrial complex and construct a supermarket, with a retail area of 1,300sq.m on top of a ground floor car park. A company bro- chure from 2019 set a target of 12 stores across Mal- ta, pitting Eurospin as a di- rect competitor with Lidl in a crowded field of supermarket groups. With over 1,000 supermar- kets in Italy and 62 in Slovenia, Malta will be Eurospin's second overseas market. In 2016, the brand accounted for 33% of the discount goods market in Italy. Only 55% of the site, already zoned for offices and show- rooms in the local plans, will be allocated for the development. The site is presently used for heavy plant storage, a mechan- ical workshop and a repair fa- cility and is surrounded by high walls. A project development state- ment (PDS) submitted to the Environment Resources Au- thority in 2020 does not ex- clude further development on the site, stating that the project is "leaving potential for other commercial use in the future". Part of the site is allocated for a separate, future application. Developers are reducing density by keeping 45% of the site undeveloped and limiting height to 11 meters instead of the 22-29m allowed by the lo- cal plan. They promised "large open spaces and aesthetically pleasing materials and design" which will benefit the area, which is presently "enclosed by high walls and structures". As proposedm the gate on Triq il-Labour will be used solely for scheduled delivery of merchandise and waste carrier operations. The main customer entrance will be through a ser- vice road exiting on Aldo Moro Road. The Transport Authority has requested a Traffic Impact As- sessment. Almost half of the respond- ents in a MaltaToday survey on supermarkets in 2016 had se- lected the discount giant Lidl as their first store of choice. Discount giant Eurospin eyes Marsa supermarket