Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/852418
8 SOMETIMES it feels like motor- ists cannot have enough fuel for their cars: Malta's major roads are simply mushrooming with mega petrol pump stations. It was a new policy approved in 2015 that allowed petrol sta- tions to be relocated from urban areas, to rural areas lying out- side development zones. These fuel stations are also allowed to expand their facilities to up to 3,000 square metres, and in some cases, over and above. Firstly, the policy allows brand new petrol stations (not relo- cated ones) to be develop up to 3,000 square metre sites in ODZ areas that are however designat- ed for industrial or storage use or as "areas of containment". Secondly, it also allows brand new fuel stations of up to 3,000 square metres in ODZ areas ad- jacent, not inside, such storage or industrial areas. Apart from the Burmarrad pet- rol station, applications for the development of ODZ petrol sta- tions are pending for Kirkop, Hal Far, Luqa, Zebbug Marsaskala, Zabbar and Zejtun. However, a number of petrol station licences were sold be- cause the new policy encourages the relocation of petrol pumps from urban areas, by allowing them to relocate in outside de- velopment zones – except in are- as of 'high landscape value', good quality agricultural land and sites of ecological importance. If these relocated petrol pumps go to ODZ areas, they are limited to 3,000 square metres. However, if these ODZ areas are located in "semi-industrial areas" used for storage, and simi- lar low-key developments called "areas of containment" – an area that tends to include pre- dominantly industrial and com- mercial activities – here petrol pumps are allowed to exceed the 3,000 sq.m limit and also to sur- pass a 7m height limitation. So policy lists a number of ODZ areas like quarries and semi-in- dustrial areas as "preferred sites" where development can surpass the 3,000 sq.m limit, and other ODZ sites where they cannot surpass the limit. And although precluded, development can still take place on agricultural land if this land is deemed not of "good quality". Relocated pumps are given a choice between retaining their present size, or increasing it up to 3,000 square metres when located in ODZ areas – which is why we are seeing large pet- rol stations complete with car- wash, VRT station, and a full- sized shop for car products and snacks. As explained by the Malta De- velopers Association, the policy has simply pumped up the arti- ficial value of dirty urban town petrol pumps, allowing owners to sell them off to middle-men and new operators who want to build massive petrol pumps on main roads ODZ. In submissions the MDA made to the authority, the association pointed out the rise in specula- tive value of existing fuel station licences. The MDA was sup- portive of moving out fuel sta- tions from residential areas, but that the compensation for larger lands was discriminatory. So to ensure that this incentive was not understood as a 'right' to re- locate fuel service stations from a residential area to an ODZ area, the MDA demanded that a concession is given only for a time-window of, say, three years. In this way, pressure could be brought upon fuel service sta- tions in residential areas to know that the possibility of relocation to an ODZ area was not an in- definite permanent policy. The PA says there is no "right" to relocate and each application will be assessed on its own mer- its. However, the authority knows it can be liberal with its poli- cies. The new Burmarrad petrol station located on ODZ land was approved, on condition of a €50,000 planning gain payable to the PA, even though the Envi- ronment and Resources Author- ity (ERA) objected to the appli- cation for being "unacceptable from an environmental point of view" at the expense of undevel- oped rural land. The PA's Ag- riculture Advisory Committee also pointed out that the petrol station was located within culti- vable land. But since the site is also located adjacent to an "area of contain- ment", a reference to the semi- industrial site for the Burmarrad Commercials complex, the pet- rol pump got the green light. maltatoday, SUNDAY, 23 JULY 2017 News Why are mega-petrol stations sprouting across the island? A planning policy that fuels demand and pumps up property values Pump up the petroleum MaltaToday explains Making sense of the news ? Send us your subjects on dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt MATTHEW AGIUS POLICE have cleared Armier bay of deckchairs and umbrellas in a surprise raid on the popular beach yesterday. Officers are understood to have collected and taken away five truckloads of deckchairs and um- brellas in an operation that began at 5 am and continued for a num- ber of hours. Bathers at Armier and Little Armier told newspaper Illum that police officers had collected many of the sunbeds and umbrellas be- longing to Palm Beach, Victoria, and Ray's Lido, loaded them onto trucks and taken them away. The operation, which cleared the 20 metres of beach closest to the sea was an initiative by the Malta Tourism Authority, carried out in cooperation with the Lands Department, as the beach conces- sions operate on public land. The MTA said they had asked the po- lice to assist in the operation. In a joint statement the Malta Tourism Authority and the Lands Authority said the operators of establishments who managed the beach concessions had been "informed on previous occasions that they were not operating in accordance with the permit terms and were advised to com- ply. They were also warned that action would be taken if such non compliance persisted. "This joint action is part of the ongoing drive aimed at ensuring that regulations are respected in full. This should send a clear sig- nal that the authorities are taking this matter seriously and that fur- ther abuse will not be tolerated." In a statement issued before news of the raids broke on Satur- day, activists from Kamp Emer- genza Ambjent had warned that it would be taking direct action against seaside operators who il- legally occupy the foreshore with sunbeds and umbrellas, arguing that "it is very unjust that a few private companies are making huge profits at the expense of the rest of the population from places that are supposed to be accessed and enjoyed by everyone." KEA had called on the deck- chair and sunbed operators to immediately halt the takeover of public beaches, calling on the au- thorities to ensure that the pub- lic's right to enjoy these beaches is restored. Police and MTA crack down on Armier sunbed operators AIR Malta has announced plans to expand its current fleet of air- craft in summer 2018 to offer more flights. The airline said the manage- ment recommendation to pro- cure additional aircraft is part of its commitment to increase the frequency of its current flight destinations and to service new routes. In a statement, Air Malta said the recommendation was "sup- ported and acknowledged" dur- ing a meeting of the board of di- rectors earlier this week. The additional aircraft are ex- pected to give the airline added flexibility to increase the fre- quency of flights on its more popular services while also allow- ing it to add new destinations, some of which may be currently unserved by other carriers. The airline said the new desti- nations would be announced fol- lowing further in-depth market studies that are currently being undertaken by Air Malta's com- mercial team in a number of working groups and discussions with key industrial stakehold- ers. The purchase is expected to boost Air Malta's seat capacity and sustain growth in the num- ber of passengers that it carries – currently standing at 1.6 million annually. The move is part of the airline's strategy to consolidate its strong market position as the national carrier as it continues to invest to support the local economy while providing more travel op- portunities for its home market, the company said. Last week Air Malta announced that it would be offering flights to Frankfurt again, a route it had previously closed. "This announcement also re- flects the confidence in the po- tential of the airline, the local tourism industry stakeholders and the islands' economy," Air Malta said. Air Malta to expand fleet in 2018