Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545793
6 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 10 JULY 2026 NEWS Calls grow to reject proposed solar farm on Ta' Kuljat Hill in Zebbug ENVIRONMENTAL and civ- ic groups have raised objections to plans for an industrial-scale, ground-mounted photovoltaic solar farm on Ta' Kuljat Hill in Żebbuġ, warning that the project could damage one of Gozo's pro- tected rural landscapes. The proposed development, covered by planning application PA/03747/26, would occupy around 27,360 square metres of exposed hilltop land – an area equivalent to almost four full-size football pitches – within an Ar- ea of High Landscape Sensitivity and mapped garrigue habitat. The Coalition for Gozo and Momentum said they support the transition towards renewable en- ergy but insist that large-scale so- lar installations should be direct- ed towards rooftops, industrial areas, quarries, landfills and other already disturbed locations rather than protected countryside. The groups argued that the pro- posed site would result in the loss of protected garrigue, with poten- tial impacts on native flora and fauna, soil structure, agricultural land and the wider rural charac- ter of the area. Concerns have also been raised over the infrastructure required to support the project, including access for construction vehicles, electricity connection works, trenching, cables, poles and secu- rity lighting. The applicants have stated that no new access route would be required, but objectors said the existing country path is too narrow to accommodate heavy machinery and the transport of photovoltaic panels. They argued that any realistic access solution would require intervention in- to surrounding agricultural land and rural infrastructure. Momentum said the proposal appears to conflict with the Gozo and Comino Local Plan, the Stra- tegic Plan for Environment and Development (SPED), and the 2021 Solar Farm Policy, which directs solar farms away from vir- gin land, agricultural areas, open countryside, garrigue and areas of high landscape sensitivity. The Coalition for Gozo al- so pointed out that a previ- ous comparable application, PA/03090/17, had been refused by the Planning Authority after failing to comply with the Solar Farm Policy, arguing that the cur- rent proposal represents an even greater departure from the estab- lished planning framework. Carmel Asciak, executive com- mittee member of Momen- tum, said the objection was not against renewable energy itself but against placing an industrial development in a protected land- scape when alternative locations are available. "This is not an objection to re- newable energy. It is an objection to placing industrial-scale devel- opment in one of Gozo's protect- ed landscapes when more suit- able alternatives already exist," Asciak said. Momentum is calling for the Government to explore pub- lic-private partnerships to install solar infrastructure on existing public assets, including public buildings, schools and large pub- lic car parks, arguing that such projects could generate clean en- ergy while providing additional benefits such as shaded parking. The groups warned that ap- proving the Ta' Kuljat proposal could set a precedent for simi- lar developments on other flat- topped hills across Malta and Gozo, while also affecting visual amenity, rural character, water runoff patterns and agricultural land. Members of the public have been urged to submit representations to the Planning Authority before the deadline of 10 July 2026. The proposed development, covered by planning application PA/03747/26, would occupy around 27,360 square metres of exposed hilltop land – an area equivalent to almost four full-size football pitches – within an Area of High Landscape Sensitivity and mapped garrigue habitat