Ahead of policy ban, fuel station requests permit for restaurant

Catering plans have been included for a recently-built fuel service station – outside development zones in Burmarrad – when no such plans were envisioned back in 2017.

The McQueen fuel station, which faces the Kiabi store in Burmarrad, has requested a permit for a full-blown food and drinks establishment, where cooking is allowed.

In 2017, the applicants had no such catering establishment included in their plans. But in 2018, the Planning Authority approved a 58sq.m snack bar – where no cooking is allowed – on part of the land originally allocated for a car accessories shop. Now the owners want a change-of-use permit to allow cooking on site.

A revised policy for the controversial fuel stations rules, which allows the construction of mega fuel stations on countryside motorways and sites outside development zones, has not yet been approved by the government. Approval would instantly ban catering or retail establishments on such sites: the only additional structures allowable would be ATMs, vending machines and vehicle maintenance
services.

The present 2015 policy is more vague, allowing ancillary structures which “complement” fuel stations.

Indeed another petrol station in Luqa belonging to the Bilom group was recently granted a permit to erect a 110sq.m snack bar where no cooking is allowed. The petrol station was originally approved in 2018 on 3,000sq.m of agricultural land along Qormi Road, next to the Water Services Corporation.

The case officer had objected to the proposal, insisting that “while the present policy allows facilities which complement fuel stations in terms of economic sustainability, such a use is not considered as acceptable.”

But the PA’s planning commission chaired by Elizabeth Ellul overruled the case officer, noting that it had already issued a similar permit for a snack bar in ODZ petrol stations in Burmarrad and Zejtun. The case officers had objected to both permits. The commission also took into consideration the fact the fuel station includes a charging station for electric vehicles.