Mdina Road petrol station wants restaurant

The extra large petrol station next to Mount Carmel hospital in Mdina Road has applied for an extension consisting of a restaurant on an adjacent vacant plot of land belonging to the same owner, Saviour Schembri.

The new catering establishment built over two levels would be built over 520 square metres of land and include space for outside chairs and tables would will be covered by a dome-shaped external cover. 

The application is still in its initial stages and is currently being vetted by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, which has to inform the applicant whether the project conforms to existing policies.

The ODZ petrol station was controversially approved in 2006 despite a clear recommendation of the case officer against the approval of the ODZ petrol station. 

The project was also opposed by the Attard local council and parliamentarians from both major parties. An extension to the car wash and the inclusion of bathroom facilities was approved in 2009. The petrol station had been approved in the absence of any policy regulating the development of petrol stations in ODZ. 

A new policy regulating ODZ petrol stations permits the relocation of petrol stations in urban areas to ODZ locations. This has led to a surge in planning applications in strategic locations. 

These include an application for another massive 3,000 square metre petrol station along Mdina Road, which has been recently presented by Luqa Developments Limited, which wants to relocate a petrol station situated in Valley Road.