Quarry eyesore near Dwejra set to get 10-year extension

A nearly exhausted quarry located just outside the Dwejra Heritage Park is set to expand by 9,806sq.m on surrounding agricultural land.

The area is designated for its High Landscape Value and the quarry is within a buffer zone that protects the integrity of the adjacent Natura 2000 site.

The application to restore the quarry also foresees the backfilling and restoration of the exhausted parts of the quarry. But the permit will effectively prolong quarrying activity in the sensitive ecological area by another 10 years.

The Environment and Resources Authority had warned in 2019 that the proposed extension will exacerbate “the significant adverse impacts of quarrying on the site and the surrounding natural environment.” Describing quarrying as “one of the main threats to biodiversity”, the ERA said the operational quarry had led to significant degradation of the rural landscape in the area, with impacts extending right up to the cliff edge.

But subsequently ERA hinted that the commitment of fresh land for further quarrying could be acceptable if offset by the immediate restoration of the seaward part of the quarry which is now exhausted, through proper backfilling, the restoration of the site topography and ecology to its pristine state, and the closure of vehicular access to the cliff.

Subsequently meetings were held with the developers’ architect and a restoration method statement was submitted by environmental consultants AIS Environment.

The extension on the north-eastern boundary will involve the removal of vegetation and the topsoil, which has an estimated depth of 1m. The first layer of upper Globigerina rock will be excavated and used in backfilling the exhausted part of the quarry, since this rock layer is not suitable for the construction industry in the Maltese islands.

The operations in the current quarry indicate that this Globigerina stratum will span a depth of 9m, while quarrying of the underlying Globigerina strata suitable for construction is estimated to span a depth of 33m, with enough resources for another 10 years.

A fuel storage room, generator room, kitchenette, restroom and mobile toilets will be dismantled and relocated to the new extension.

The restoration of the exhausted part of the quarry is envisaged to be carried out in six phases with the first phase being the restoration of the bottom, western-most part, which covers an area of around 4,400sq.m. The restoration will also address a breach in the cliff-face caused by past quarrying, to be carried out by constructing a rubble wall following the same height and contours of the pre-existing cliff face.

No photomontages have been presented to show the visual impact of the quarry extension despite a specific request by the PA’s design advisory committee.

The project is now being recommended for approval by a case officer who cited the clearance given by the Environment and Resources Authority.