Planning Authority shoots down warehouse complex in ODZ

A proposal to replace a farm with a complex of 11 warehouses in Luqa was shot down unanimously by the planning board on Thursday.

The board refused to grant an outline development permit for a warehouse complex and an open storage yard on a site located outside the development zone in Ħal Farruġ in the outskirts of Luqa.

The sprawling site that measures 18,600sq.m lies opposite a residential housing estate and is partially situated within Wied Qirda and Wied il-Kbir.

The planning board agreed with the recommendation of the Development Management Directorate that replacing a disused farm with warehouses and an open storage area is an unnecessary land use in a rural area and fails to provide a wider environmental benefit.

It was also noted that the site lies within a Strategic Open Space Gap area and parts of the site are designated as agricultural areas.