PA refuses to limit cremation facilities to one government-owned site

The Planning Authority has shot down a proposal by Moviment Graffitti to limit the number of cremation facilities to one government-owned cremation facility.

It has further restricted the area in the ODZ where such private sector driven developments can be allowed.

The second and final draft of a policy regulating the sector will limit such development to a 1km radius of Malta’s main urban area.

It also forbids a change of use of such facilities but stipulates that any buildings have to be demolished if the cremation facility is left unutilised for three years.

But in response to Moviment Graffitti’s proposal for the identification of land for a single government-owned cremation facility, the PA replied that the aim of the new policy is not to set numerical limits on this kind of development type but to establish the technical requirements to enable assessments of any future applications.

“This review as required by government focuses on providing a planning framework for standalone crematoria. Considerations of government’s role in future crematoria is beyond the scope of this partial review,” the PA replied.

But while the PA is shunning the idea of a site selection exercise for one cremation facility owned by the government, it has further restricted the site area where such development can take place.

Former Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar who had piloted cremation legislation in 2019 had herself declared that “it’s not viable to have more than one crematorium because the numbers are what they are… a simple calculation would convince anyone that there’s no need for more than one.”

But while refusing to introduce a numerical limit on the number of facilities, a second draft issued for public consultation on Monday includes further restrictions over and above those found in the original draft.

For example, of operations cease for a continuous period of three years, all buildings and structures will have to be demolished at the expense of the landowner/operator. The change of use to another land use, is also strictly prohibited unless it involves the rehabilitation of the whole site “to an environmentally acceptable natural state”.

The policy bans the erection of cremation facilities in Natura 2000 sites and other protected areas. But unlike the first draft the latest draft policy no longer bans cremation facilities in Areas of High Landscape Value (AHLV) but in such cases the developer will have to demonstrate u that the proposal will not have an unacceptable adverse impact on the landscape.

Moreover, according to the latest draft, cremation facilities can only be allowed in a 1km range from the main urban zones, down from the 1.5km limit proposed in the first draft issued earlier on this year.

The aim of this change is to further limit the amount of land available for crematoria development and minimizing land usage. This is also meant to ensure that crematoria are located within the vicinity of areas with a high population density and thus limit the proliferation into the rural countryside.

Malta’s principal Urban Area which includes the inner and outer harbour area around towns like Marsa, Cottonera, Zabbar, San Gwann, St Julian’s, Birkirkara, Qormi, Naxxar and Mosta.

As was proposed in the first draft in Gozo cremation facilities are restricted to the Rabat/Xewkija area.

This search area still allows for a range of potential sites on a regional level. It is not recommended for such a facility to be located in a dispersed manner in the peripheral, outer reaches of the country or coastal areas as this would not be environmentally sustainable.

The proposed policy does not allow cremation facilities to be developed on agricultural land "unless clearance is obtained" from the PA’s advisory panel on agriculture.

The public can send its feedback on the second and final draft of the new policy by not later than 6th November 2023.