Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1533939
2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 2 APRIL 2025 2 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Figures from the National Sta- tistics Office show there were 445,711 vehicles registered by the end of last year. If 13,081 electric vehicles are removed from the total, this would result in an average of 5,693 petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles per fuel station in Malta and Gozo. Of the 76 fuel stations, 56 have an active licence, while 20 are in the process of having their licence renewed following refurbishment works. The information was tabled in parliament by Energy Minister Miriam Dalli in reply to a par- liamentary question by Opposi- tion MP Jerome Caruana Cilia. Dalli said that of the 56 with an active licence, 49 had car- ried out the necessary reno- vations, one is about to start these works shortly, three were granted clearance by the Ener- gy and Water Agency (REWS), and three others are still in the process of submitting their plans. The minister also said that only 34 of the 76 fuel stations have an environmental per- mit from the Environment and Resources Authority. The rest have pending applications, while only one fuel station has not yet submitted an applica- tion. Meanwhile, Dalli said that un- til 24 March this year, ERA had received no new application for a petrol pump. However, RE- WS has before it one pending application for a new fuel sta- tion. A fuel station for every 4sq.km Zurrieq farmers demand withdrawal of consent for development on agricultural land in Tal-Bebbux FARMERS in Żurrieq, supported by various organisations and res- idents, have called on the Lands Authority to withdrawl its con- sent for development on agricul- tural land in Tal-Bebbux. The land, which has been used for generations, is a main source of local food production and is now under threat from private development plans. "At a time when Malta is in- creasingly dependent on im- ported food and facing a global climate crisis, the decision to eliminate productive, cultivat- ed farmland for development is deeply troubling," the farmers said in a press release on Tuesday morning. They emphasised that allowing state-owned land with agricul- tural value to be repurposed for private profit goes against the in- terests of farmers, communities, and future generations. The contested land was grant- ed to a private developer for Planning Control application PC/00068/22. Thousands of for- mal objections have been submit- ted by the public in opposition to the project. The coalition of farmers, organ- isations and residents argue that this development would cause ir- reversible damage and set a dan- gerous pattern for the misuse of public land. They urged the Lands Author- ity to "acknowledge the opposi- tion to this project, the irrevers- ible damage it would cause, and the wider implications of allow- ing public land to be abused in this way." The farmers and organisations involved highlighted broader concerns about government pri- orities. They accused authorities of serving the construction lobby at the expense of environmental sustainability, social justice, and long-term public wellbeing. "Act responsibly and take this opportunity to defend the pub- lic interest, uphold the rights of farmers, and reject a develop- ment model that continues to place greed before the common good," they appealed. The letter opposing this de- velopment was signed by Rob- ert Bondin Carter and Annalise Schembri, with backing from a coalition of organisations in- cluding Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi, Għaqda Residenti taż-Żurrieq, Malta Youth in Agriculture (MaYA), Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura, BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Mal- ta, Il-Kollettiv, Moviment Graf- fitti, Nature Trust – FEE Malta, Ramblers' Association of Malta, and The Archaeological Society Malta. JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Farmers accuse authorities of serving the construction lobby at the expense of environmental sustainability, social justice, and long-term public wellbeing Agricultural land in Tal-Bebbux (Photo: Moviment Graffiti)