New ODZ supermarket proposed in Mosta

The development is being proposed by developer Gorg Muscat who presented an application in October.

Contacted by MaltaToday, mayor Paul Chetcuti Cauana confirmed this issue had been raised by residents and said the council will be discussing this issue in its next meeting. “Whatever we say does not have much of an impact because they always do what they like but we will discuss this issue in the next meeting,” the maverick mayor told MaltaToday when asked about the proposed development.

Prior to the 2008 election, MEPA had approved two controversial Lidl supermarkets in Luqa and Safi. In both cases, the DCC board was criticised by internal auditor Joe Falzon.

But MEPA had turned down an ODZ supermarket in Ta’ Mellu in Mosta proposed by developer Charles Polidano on behalf of Lidl.

The latest supermarket application comes in a changed climate where MEPA is taking a hard line against ODZ developments. The Planning Directorate has recommended the refusal of an application to construct LIDL’s sixth supermarket in Maltaon ODZ (outside development zone) land between Zabbar and Xghajra. And in a similar case in Gozo the developer was ordered not to encroach on ODZ land.

MEPA was also considering an application for a five-storey car park on the site of a former quarry in the area known as is-Sghajtar, between Naxxar and Mosta which was included in rationalisation schemes in 2006. But the application was suspended after the architect failed to submit the plans in time.

Only last week MEPA turned down an application to sanction an illegal extension of an ODZ petrol station despite the favourable vote of the two MPs sitting on the board; Labour Party representative Roderick Galdes and government representative Joe Falzon.