ODZ petrol station proposed in Hal Far

A new petrol station covering 4,209 square metres of land lying outside development zones in Benghajsa is being proposed by Go Fuels, a Gozitan firm.

Plans presented by the developer show that the petrol station, located in the vicinity of Hal Far shooting range, will include a car wash, a valeting garage, a kitchen, a snack bar and cafeteria and a mechanic’s shop. The built-up area will be limited to 484 square metres.

The land in question is agricultural but is located in the vicinity of an industrial area.

MEPA’s new policy on fuel stations allows new petrol stations to be located “opposite or adjacent” to industrial areas, storage areas and “areas of containment” that are already outside development zones.

The original fuel stations policy draft, issued in April 2014, made no reference to the “adjacent or opposite” loophole, limiting this development only to the relocation of urban pumps to new rural locations. The criteria were relaxed in the final policy document approved last year.

“Some of the submissions and a number of meetings with individuals suggested a widening of the opportunities for locating fuel stations,” a spokesperson for MEPA told MaltaToday in March when asked why this change was made.

In 2002 the MEPA had refused an application to build stables on the site because it formed part of a rural conservation area.