Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540705
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 JUNE 2025 JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Tarxien fireworks factory confirmed near Ghaxaq firing site AN appeals tribunal has con- firmed the approval of a permit for the construction of a fire- works factory in Tarxien, reject- ing grievances by the Għaxaq and Gudja councils. The councils had strongly ob- jected to the factory, arguing that the technical committee's report was defective for failing to account for a nearby fireworks firing site. The firing site is locat- ed less than 80 metres from the proposed factory. The councils insisted this site represented the last safe location for setting off fireworks during the Għaxaq feast, warning that the factory's proximity could en- danger residents, workers, and festa enthusiasts. However, the tribunal and the Planning Authority (PA) argued that permits for fireworks dis- plays fall outside the PA's remit. Such permits are issued annu- ally on a temporary basis by the police commissioner and there- fore do not constitute a planning consideration capable of prohib- iting development. Safety concerns regarding the 183-metre buffer zone were also dismissed. The residence cited by the councils did not qualify as an "inhabited place" under Chapter 33, which requires at least 100 occupants. Roads near the site were also confirmed to lie outside the buffer when meas- ured from the centre of the pro- posed magazine. Additionally, the use of Out- side Development Zone (ODZ) land was deemed acceptable as the area is classified as "dry" ag- ricultural land in line with the Fireworks Factory Complexes Policy. A controversial saga since 2012 The Tarxien-based Għaqda tan-Nar San Gabriel first applied to build the fireworks factory in 2012, targeting a 9,000sq.m plot in Il-Ħbula on the outskirts of Għaxaq. The application drew opposition from both the Għax- aq and Gudja councils over safety risks to nearby housing estates, workplaces, agricultural land, and even the Gudja cemetery. Heritage authorities also raised objections due to the site's prox- imity to historic structures, in- cluding the Chapel of St Lucy, the Santu Kristu Church in Għaxaq, and a Punic tomb. Environmen- tal regulators cited potential loss of agricultural land, ODZ inten- sification, clustering near other fireworks factories, and negative visual impact. Initially, the case officer recommended refusal. The permit was eventually granted in 2023 after the appli- cation was deemed compliant with recent policies allowing fireworks factories on agricultur- al land, provided an ad hoc safety committee—including the po- lice, armed forces, and Civil Pro- tection Department—endorsed the project. The Planning Board voted 7-1 in favour, overriding dissent from Għaxaq's repre- sentative. The council subsequently lodged an appeal, which has now been dismissed by the tribunal.