56 farm roads to be ‘upgraded’ without MEPA permits

€6.5 million in EU funding will be spent on the upgrading or creation of 56 farm access roads, alleys and pathways over the coming months, many of the works including agricultural areas. 

To benefit from EU funding the works have to be completed in 2015 “preferably before next June”, a spokesperson for parliamentary secretary Ian Borg, who is responsible for EU funding, confirmed.

Although some of the works are being proposed in environmentally sensitive areas none of the proposed works will require any further environmental studies and MEPA permits.

This is because any such works which would have required a planning permit were excluded in the selection process carried out by Transport Malta and the Funds and Programmes Division, the government spokesperson claimed.

“Due to environmental considerations and other criteria, and on the basis of whether these required further environmental studies or permits from MEPA and other entities, 24 roads were excluded by Transport Malta,” the spokesperson said.

The parliamentary secretary’s spokesperson emphasised the fact that Malta risked losing these funds had the call for applications and selection process not been carried in time. This was because the funds were made available from savings made from the allocation for rural development in Malta for the period between 2007 and 2013.

Transport Malta architects initially had assessed a total of 138 proposals made by local councils.

From this list 24 proposals were eliminated by Transport Malta and another three by the Funds and Programmes Division following further scrutiny. The Malta Environment and Planning Authority was not involved in the process.

Transport Malta also listed the projects according to a priority list. The first 56 projects in this list will be eligible for funding.

The criteria justifying the exclusion of projects included the need for further environmental studies, the need for MEPA permits and whether the roads in question were public or not.

The proposed works mostly involve the upgrading of existing roads, pathways and alleys. 

The main beneficiaries of the scheme are Rabat (13 roads) Zabbar (five roads) Siggiewi and Zejtun (four roads) Kalkara and Dingli (three roads). A large number of projects are located in agricultural areas between Rabat, Siggiewi and Dingli.

The list of approved projects includes the existing road between Ta’ Baldu and Wied Hazrun in Dingli. The Ta’ Baldu area is an Area of Ecological Importance, which includes a number of holm oak trees (ballut).

Other rural sites earmarked for road upgrading include Raba Nemel, Hofret ir-Rizz and Wied l-Isqof in Rabat, Wied Rini in Bahrija, San Leonardu in Zabbar and Wied Hmir in Mgarr.

The aim of this EU funding is to facilitate the development and adaptation of agriculture by supporting the improvement of the necessary infrastructure, and to address farm accessibility, which is considered to be one of the major limitations affecting agricultural land quality and productivity.