Għaxaq residents and farmers are bracing themselves for a decision this week when the Planning Authority considers an application for a new fireworks factory on agricultural land on the outskirts of the village.
The case officer has recommended its approval but the case status has not yet been updated and its still says that the application was being recommended for refusal.
The application for the fireworks factory – the fifth in the locality – was originally being recommended for refusal but then changed to approval after the case officer concluded it complied with the 2014 policy covering fireworks factories.
The Planning Authority board is expected to discuss the application on Thursday.
The application, which has been pending since it was originally filed in 2012, was meant to cover an area of 9,000 square metres of arable land in an area known as tal-Ħbula.
Għaxaq already has the St Mary’s and St Joseph fireworks factories.
Farmers in the vicinity as well as residents and members of two of the locality’s band clubs are resisting the new factory, which, if built, will be surrounded by farms and historic buildings, including the historic chapel of St Lucy and the church of Christ the Redeemer as well as an old cemetery.
The Għaqda Mużikali San Ġużepp said the approval would effectively lead to the closure of its own fireworks factory, which was always used as a firing site during the village feast, as the new site is located just 100 metres away.
The band club said there are no alternative sites which could be used.
A new policy allows new fireworks factories on dry agricultural land if these are granted prior approval by an ad-hoc committee, which includes representatives of the Civil Protection Department, the police and the army.
The committee concluded that the application, filed by Tarxien-based Għaqda tan-Nar San Gabriel, complies with all policy requirements. Chaired by police superintendent Sandro Camilleri, the committee made recommendations to improve safety.
Several farmers objected saying they had invested heavily in their fields around the proposed site.
The planning directorate noted a historic chapel and cemetery were located more than 300 metres from the proposed magazine.
There were no buildings which constitute an “inhabited area” within a radius of 183 metres from the proposed magazine. An “inhabited area” is an aggregation of houses inhabited by more than 100 persons.
The Għaxaq local council has so far collected more than 1,500 signatures in a petition against the development. The list is expected to be presented to the board at the beginning of the sitting.
Correction: An earlier version of the story said that the planning application was recommended for refusal when the case officer had actually recommended its approval. A spokesperson for the PA said the case status quoted in the original article is not updated to reflect this change but this is always reflected in notes inserted in the case officer's report.