Luqa mega petrol station set for approval despite policy review

The sprawl of mega petrol stations outside development zones is set to continue despite a government review of planning policies.

The Planning Authority’s board will take a decision on Thursday on a new ODZ petrol station in Luqa, instead of postponing its decision to a date after the policy review.

Since the 2017 general elections the PA has approved large petrol stations in Burmarrad, Marsaskala and Maghtab on the strength of a policy that allows the relocation of urban petrol stations to outside development zones.

The new 3,000sq.m. petrol station proposed along Qormi road, adjacent to the Water Services Corporation in Luqa, is being recommended for approval by the PA’s planning directorate.

But back in January environment minister José Herrera pushed the Environment Authority (ERA) to review the current Fuel Service Stations Policy and propose revisions to the Planning Authority’s executive council.

“Whilst noting that many of the (development) proposals were in line with the policy, these could be objectionable because of the significant concern regarding the cumulative environmental impact caused by the policy framework for fuel service stations,” Herrera had said.

The Environment and Resources Authority is opposing the Luqa application, saying it takes up 3,000sq.m of agricultural land and creates “a precedent for other developments along Qormi road.” 1,500 cubic metres of soil will be excavated.

The application originally envisioned a brand new petrol station but at a later stage the application was changed to include the relocation of the petrol station on Savoy Hill in Sliema.

The planning directorate argues that the application is compliant with the policy regulating fuel stations but is recommending a €75,000 “planning gain” compensation for environmental projects in the locality.

The Luqa local council gave its go-ahead for the development, but Birdlife and Nature Trust are objecting to the application. The site is listed as an Area of Agricultural Importance in the South Local Plan.

The directorate’s case officer justified approval because the site conforms to a clause in the Fuel Service Stations Policy which recommends the approval of petrol stations opposite to or adjacent to designated industrial areas.

“The site under consideration is situated opposite to a designated industrial area and as such could be considered to be suitable to accommodate fuel stations.”

The draft fuel stations policy issued in 2014 made no reference to development adjacent or opposite industrial areas. But the criteria for ODZ petrol stations were further relaxed in the final policy document approved in 2015, to allow brand new petrol stations in areas adjacent or opposite so called ‘areas of containment’.

On its part ERA insists that although the proposal may satisfy certain requirements stipulated under the policy “there is no overriding justification for the further loss of rural land and associated environmental impacts in order to accommodate a commercial use outside the zones that are officially committed for development.”

Three fuel stations exist in the radius of 1.2km in the vicinity of the proposed fuel station. The policy regulating new fuel pumps only bans new petrol stations within a distance of a 500m radius of existing ones.

The petrol station is being proposed by Raymond Brincat, and will include a service station, a small shop, a tyre service garage, VRT Garage, ATM, and car wash facilities.