Planning board revokes permit granted earlier this year

The Planning Board revoked a planning permit which was granted earlier this year for the development of a residential dwelling with a basement store in a sensitive area of agricultural value in Burmarrad, limits of San Pawl il-Bahar.

The Board agreed that there was sufficient evidence to show that when the planning decision had been taken by the Planning Commission last January, the applicant who claimed to be a full time arable farmer had never taken any agricultural produce to the Fruit & Vegetable Market Centre in Ta' Qali (il-Pitkali).

This called into question the purpose as to why the farmer needed to have an existing store converted into a residential dwelling. Furthermore, the applicant also submitted a false declaration of ownership which was a material consideration in the original decision.

The Board noted that the applicant had presented misleading information which had influenced the decision of the Planning Commission. During the public meeting, it was also brought to the Board’s attention that a structure of a considerable size had been constructed prior to the Planning Commission’s decision.

The Planning Board also refused planning permission for the development of a Fuel Service Station with ancillary facilities at an ODZ site on the Coast Road, limits of Naxxar. The site with an area of   approximately 2,888m² is mostly surrounded with karstland that is protected as a Level 2 Area of Ecological Importance. The site is question is located slightly more than 500 metres from the Salina Development Zone. This application was also seeks permission to decommission an existing fuel station located in the urban/tourism area of Tower Road in Sliema.

The Board agreed with the recommendation made by the Planning Directorate that the new Fuel Station would give rise to unacceptable adverse environmental impacts within the site and its surrounding context and that the development is not satisfying the eligibility and location criteria as established in the Fuel Service Stations Policy.