Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/630594
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 24 JANUARY 2016 12 News Wied Ghomor quarry earmarked for old people's home JAMES DEBONO THE Wied Ghomor quarry is an eyesore for the residents of San Gwann, Mensija and Madliena, but its owners have plans for this gaping wound in the valley. In plans submitted to the Malta Environ- ment and Planning Authority, the area is be- ing eyed for the construction of a 133-room old people's home, the dimensions of which would occupy 8% of the quarry but rise two storeys above the hole. The rest of the site would be rehabilitated as a public garden and belvedere. In 2011 the MEPA board had concluded that any development on the site should not occupy more than 5% of the quarry. The lo- cal plan stipulates that any new building is to "occupy a minimal part of the site". The developers are arguing that the extent of the developable floor space is "extremely important for the viability of the rehabilita- tion of the valley." They say they want to provide a "high quality retirement complex" catering for dependent and independent individuals, as well as all necessary ancillary facilities re- quired in a retirement complex such as a gym, restaurant, a hall and a parking area. Originally the development also included covering a large part of the site with solar panels. But this aspect of the project was dropped due to the impact on the site to- pography. MEPA has already asked the applicants' architect to reconsider the intended land- use in view of its Social Facilities and Com- munity Care Topic Paper, which proposed that old people's homes be located close to or within a town or village centre. The Planning Directorate is recommend- ing the approval of the development. A decision on a preliminary permit for the development will be taken on 4 February. A full permit will be approved at a later stage. Among the issues left pending is how the site will be linked to the road network. The quarry is at present subject to an en- forcement order against illegal dumping, which is still pending. Photomontage of proposed development. The solar panels shown in this computer aided rendition are no longer being proposed ODZ petrol station proposed in Hal Far A new petrol station covering 4,209 square metres of land lying outside development zones in Benghajsa is being proposed by Go Fuels, a Gozitan firm. Plans presented by architect Robert Musumeci show that the petrol station, located in the vicinity of Hal Far shooting range, will include a car wash, a valeting garage, a kitchen, a snack bar and cafeteria and a mechanic's shop. The built-up area will be limited to 484 square metres. The land in question is agricultural but is located in the vicinity of an industrial area. MEPA's new policy on fuel stations al- lows new petrol stations to be located "opposite or adjacent" to industrial areas, storage areas and "areas of containment" that are already outside development zones. The original fuel stations policy draft, is- sued in April 2014, made no reference to the "adjacent or opposite" loophole, lim- iting this development only to the reloca- tion of urban pumps to new rural loca- tions. The criteria were relaxed in the final policy document approved last year. "Some of the submissions and a number of meetings with individuals suggested a widening of the opportunities for locating fuel stations," a spokesperson for MEPA told MaltaToday in March when asked why this change was made. In 2002 the MEPA had refused an appli- cation to build stables on the site because it formed part of a rural conservation area.