Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/747633
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 NOVEMBER 2016 13 JAMES DEBONO THE PN will only pronounce itself on whether it agrees with a Gozo airstrip outside development zones (ODZ) when the government pub- lishes all studies related to the de- velopment. The Gozo airstrip was one of a string of projects listed by both Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and Gozo spokesperson Chris Said as having been promised by the fi- nance minister in previous budget speeches, but never delivered. The development of an airstrip at Ta' Lambert in Xewkija was ini- tially favoured by Joseph Muscat's government but was subsequently put on the back-burner and was not even mentioned in this year's budget. While Gozo business sectors have lobbied for this development, environmentalists have consist- ently opposed it due to its take-up of agricultural land outside devel- opment zones. MaltaToday asked the PN to state its position on whether an airstrip should be developed in Gozo and whether it excludes the develop- ment of an airstrip on ODZ and agricultural land. A spokesperson for the party re- frained from taking a clear stance, throwing the ball back in the gov- ernment's court. "The airstrip project was listed in all Labour budgets since 2014 but strangely omitted this year without any explanation. The government has never published any of its stud- ies and reports on its plans for an airstrip and therefore the Opposi- tion is not able to assess them in order to form an opinion about the economic and environmental fea- sibility of this project. Such is the lack of transparency of the current government". This adds another twist to the Gozo airstrip saga, which has been ongoing for the past two decades. Before the general election in February 2013 Joseph Muscat de- clared that the Gozo airstrip was "not a priority", and that a helicop- ter service and a fast-ferry service between Mgarr and Valletta would be considered instead. But in a consultation meeting in July 2013 the Tourism Ministry announced that the government was considering a new 400-metre or 650-metre airstrip in Gozo in the Tal-Lambert area. In November 2013, the govern- ment confirmed that talks were ongoing with an "Italian company" on an air link between Malta, Gozo and Sicily, and funds for a study on an airstrip were included in the na- tional budget. Plans were also forwarded to Brussels for a 900-metre-long ru- ral airfield in Gozo with the aim of tapping into EU funding for the estimated €14 million project. The airstrip – capable of han- dling both internal flights and air traffic from the surrounding re- gions – was meant to be completed by 2017. The document sent to the EU had stated that a new airstrip could more than double Gozo's tourist arrivals. In January 2014 works com- menced to clear rubble and dump- ing in the area but the government denied that this was being done to clear the way for a runway. But the Gozo Business Chamber and the Gozo Tourism Association both welcomed this development and are looking forward to having fixed-wing routes to Gozo. In March 2014 Joseph Muscat announced that the government was considering the construction of a grass airstrip in Gozo but the government would first need to evaluate the environmental im- pact. One of the advantages of a grass airstrip according to Muscat is that it would be reversible. But the completed feasibility study has never been published or presented to parliament. Following the back- lash on proposed ODZ develop- ment in Zonqor, the airstrip dis- appeared from the government's radar. News PN evasive over Gozo airstrip The airstrip saga The airstrip saga dates back to the 1990s when an application was presented by the army to develop an airstrip in Gozo, prompting protests by Alternattiva Demokratika and green NGOs. Stopping the application for the Gozo airstrip was one of Alfred Sant's first decisions as prime minister in 1996, after withdrawing the country from NATO's Partnership for Peace programme and freezing EU membership. After being dropped by Sant, the project was put on the back burner by Eddie Fenech Adami after he was re-elected in 1998. It was now Labour MP Anton Refalo who repeatedly called for the publication of studies related to the feasibility of an airstrip. While Refalo pushed for the project, Labour MP Justyne Caruana remained opposed. In February 2010 Roderick Galdes, then shadow minister for planning, announced that the development of an airstrip would be one of the options a Labour government would consider to ensure better connectivity between Malta and Gozo. But just as Labour warmed to the airstrip the PN government became more skeptical. While not excluding the project completely, former tourism and environment minister Mario de Marco raised doubts on its sustainability. "One also needs to consider whether an airstrip in Gozo and enhanced accessibility can actually impact negatively the perception of the island that lures tourists to it," De Marco told MaltaToday in 2010. Agricultural land earmarked for Hal Far mega petrol pump Planning Authority yet to approve single petrol station under new policy regime for ODZ pumps JAMES DEBONO A brand new petrol station is being proposed along Triq Hal Far, on over 4,000 square metres of agricultural land adjacent to the Hal Far shooting range and opposite the Caribbean Bar in Birzebbugia. The application, originally presented in January 2016, has passed the screening stage and has been validated by the Plan- ning Authority, which will be taking a decision in the coming months. Objections to the new development can be sent to the PA till 2 December. The application includes plans for a mechanical shop, a 65 square-metre snack bar and caf- eteria, a VRT garage, a valeting garage and car wash facilities. 484 square metres of the 4,019 square metre site will be built up. The new policy regulating the development of petrol stations permits the development of pet- rol stations "adjacent or oppo- site" industrial areas. The policy originally only allowed the re- location of petrol stations from urban areas to the ODZ but this was changed at the last stage. This was later changed, follow- ing public consultation, to in- clude ODZ land "in the vicinity of industrial zones". "Some of the submissions and a number of meetings with in- dividuals suggested a widening of the opportunities for locating fuel stations," a spokesperson for the PA told MaltaToday in March 2015 when asked why this change was made. In this case the industrial area borders on the shooting range, which is opposite the proposed development. The application for the new petrol station was presented by Michael Zammit, who is repre- sented by architect and govern- ment advisor Robert Musumeci. Back in 2002 he had an appli- cation for the construction of five stables covering 90 square metres of land on the same site turned down by the author- ity. The decision was confirmed on appeal in 2008. The appeals board found the development unacceptable as it was located in a rural conservation area. In 2014 the Planning Author- ity approved an application to upgrade the shooting range on condition that grass blocks are used for a car park for 80 cars. In October this condition was lifted to allow the asphalting of the parking area, despite the objec- tions of the Planning Directorate and the Environment and Re- sources Authority. The latter had warned that this would result in the "excessive formalisation" of this rural area. In November 2014 the PA had also approved an application for a change of use of the Caribbean Bar to a restaurant and nightclub. The PA faces a backlog of ODZ applications, including two adja- cent ones in Burmarrad, one in Kirkop, one along the coast road and one in Attard, and another near the Water Services Corpo- ration in Luqa. But so far none of these appli- cations has been approved and a proposed ODZ petrol station at Maghtab has been turned down.