Fomm ir-Riħ ‘store with a view’ wants permit

The owner of a plot in the pristine Fomm ir-Riħ wants a permit for a 15sq.m agricultural store and basement, a year after obtaining a permit for a gate and a boundary wall to enclose his property.

The PA’s advisory panel on agriculture has asked him to justify the store in such a remote area when the majority of his holding is located in another area. The application also foresees a 43sq.m reservoir.

If approved, the store will also enjoy breathtaking views of the western coast of Malta. But the area itself forms part of the Natura 2000 network of protected sites, which is scheduled as an Area of Ecological Importance and Area of Archaeological Importance.

In October 2020, the PA had approved the reinstatement of a rubble wall and a 4.5m gate to enclose the site even though a case officer originally recommended a refusal, warning that new walls fragment existing open land into multiple, smaller parcels.

In 2019 the PA had already refused a permit for a 35sq.m store, with rubble wall and gate for the site.

On that occasion the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage had objected to the basement, warning that ground disturbance should not be allowed in the archeologically sensitive area.

The PA’s agricultural advisory committee also noted that only 15% of the holding was registered arable land and