Batching plant and bricks factory proposed in Wied Incita quarry

The owners of the Bilven quarry along Triq H’Attard, near Wied Incita are proposing a major development consisting of a batching plant, a bricks manufacturing plant and a retail outlet selling building materials.

The proposal also foresees new storage facilities, a parking area and landscaped areas.

The new development  proposed by quarry owner Michael Bugeja is being proposed in the southern quarry in the area facing Wied Incita and the mental health hospital.

As proposed the development will include a 2,750sq.m manufacturing area, a 3,570sq.m storage area and a 1,100sq.m retail area.

But the Environment and Resources Authority has already expressed concern that this would set a precedent for similar developments in the rural areas involving the conversion of quarries into commercial facilities instead of their restoration to agriculture.

“The quarry should be restored back to agricultural land and the final landform should follow the original contours of the area,” ERA said in its assessment of the proposal.

While objecting to the proposal, ERA also asked the developer to submit a Projects Description Statement on the basis of which the authority will decide whether an Environment Impact Assessment is required.

The application presented in May is still in its initial screening stage.

A permit issued in 2021 had already envisaged the backfilling and restoration of part of the northern quarry while allowing an extension of other parts of the quarry which is rich in lower coralline limestone.