Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/290775
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 APRIL 2014 8 JAMES DEBONO AN application to extend the foot- print of the St Bartholemew's fire- works factory in Gharghur will live to see another day, despite a clear recommendation to refuse it. The decision on the application will be taken after the approval of a controversial draft policy, prepared by the Malta Pyrotechnics Associa- tion's lawyer Michael Falzon – also Labour MP – before he was ap- pointed parliamentary secretary responsible for planning in March. Falzon was appointed as a con- sultant to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority after La- bour's election to power in 2013. A legal notice issued last year al- lowed developers the option to ask for a postponement of decisions on applications that were likely to be affected by new policies. The St Bartholemew's fireworks factory application proposes the erection of two 18-square-metre stores, three 35-square-metre workshops, three 14-square-metre workshops, one 21-square-metre mixing room and five 2-metre high blast walls. The site of the development lies on the Madliena side of Wied id-Dis, 180 metres from the Sw- ieqi residential area, which is being proposed for scheduling as a Grade 2 Area of Ecological Importance. The Environment Protection Di- rectorate described the site as rich in vegetation associated with the presence of nearby carob trees. An ecological report presented by the applicants states that the area is characterised by very little soil, and suggests that the grass in the area constitutes a severe fire hazard due to its proximity to the existing fireworks factory plant. But the MEPA case officer still called for the refusal of the appli- cation, both for ecological reasons and for its deleterious impact on Swieqi residents. The first draft of a policy on fireworks, drafted by a commit- tee chaired by Falzon, bans new fireworks factories in Grade 1 and Grade 2 scheduled areas. But no such limits are imposed on extensions of existing fireworks factories. If the policy is approved, similar applications will first re- quire the prior approval of an ad hoc committee appointed by the minister before being processed by MEPA. News Decision on Gharghur fireworks factory postponed Residents unite against ODZ old people's home JAMES DEBONO SANTA Lucija residents are set- ting up an action committee to ob- ject to the development of a private old people's home on a site outside development zones (ODZ). The residents objecting to the new development include activists like Catherine Polidano, who had successfully campaigned against the development of a waste separa- tion facility in nearby Wied Garnaw under the previous administration. The application was turned down in 2004. MaltaToday revealed news of the controversial application, filed by architect Robert Sarsero, who is al- so a member on MEPA's new board of appeal, last week. Sarsero was appointed chairman of the Malta Freeport Corporation in 2013. Nationalist MP Jason Azzop- ardi, who lives in Santa Lucija, is also objecting to the development, describing Wied Garnaw as the "green belt" surrounding the local- ity. Azzopardi warned that if the ap- plication in Wied Garnaw is ap- proved, it sets a precedent to grad- ually allow development in other parts of Wied Garnaw. "I am simply flabbergasted at the applicant's gall to violate this pristine valley. I call upon all people of good will, what- ever their political beliefs, to join us in taking a principled stand." Azzopardi warned that if ap- proved, the application would be another sign of the current govern- ment's pandering to the construc- tion industry. The four-storey home for the elderly is being proposed on 4,472 square metres of ODZ land along Luqa Road, next to the Garnaw Valley reservoir. Architect Robert Sarsero, who sits on MEPA's review of tribunal, filed the application on behalf of applicant Neville Schembri, a di- rector and shareholder in Health- mark Care Services, a company providing home care and support services to seniors and persons who need help at home because of illness or disability. Working group appointed to address farm waste problem JAMES DEBONO THE Ministry for Sustainable De- velopment has appointed an expert working group from the Agriculture Directorate, the Water Services Cor- poration and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to tackle the problem of farm waste that ends up in the drainage system, causing prob- lems in the water treatment plant. The sludge derived from farm waste being sent to Malta's waste treatment plant is contributing to odour problems in Xgħajra. Maltese legislation prohibits farms from discharging any prohibited ef- fluent into the sewerage network. According to a ministry spokesper- son, in 2012 and 2013 the Agricul- ture Directorate, in agreement with the WSC, embarked on extensive surveying and inspection of livestock farms (mainly cow and pig) to deter- mine risk farms and deter abuse. The development of bio-digesters in the near future is expected to fur- ther help keep the problem in check. Bio-digesters convert farm waste in to energy by breaking down bio- degradable material. During a recently-held public hearing on a pending planning ap- plication to upgrade the plant, en- gineer Stefan Cachia revealed that the WSC had not expected to re- ceive such a large amount of farm waste and that the corporation was "actually promised by other rel- evant public institutions that this would not be allowed to occur." During the meeting, Xgħajra mayor Anthony Valvo also com- plained that residents were fac- ing problems with odour, noise and transport. According to the mayor, sludge is being transported from the plant through the local- ity on frequent basis. He also com- plained that although a landscap- ing scheme was promised with previous applications, after four years no landscaping had yet been carried out.