A kerbside fuel station planned for the Sliema seafront runs counter to efforts to make Malta more attractive to tourists, the Malta Hotel and Restaurant Association said on Wednesday.
It said that the proposed fuel station “contradicts efforts geared towards a more authentic tourism product.”
The MHRA was referring to a story published by Times of Malta which revealed that a planning application to upgrade a disused fuel station on the Sliema front is slated for approval, despite strong objections from residents and concerns about its proximity to two hotels and various bars and restaurants.
Sliema is one of Malta's leading tourism destinations, with hundreds of thousands of tourists walking along its promenade each year.
The hotel lobby said that rather than going for such “eyesore developments”, the authorities should be directing investment towards the improvement of the quality experience of the Sliema seafront and its surroundings.
Fuel stations ought to be located outside the town cores, the MHRA said, and tourism destinations like Sliema should be embellished to promote a more "authentic" Maltese experience for visitors.
"It’s about time that a clear message is sent by the relevant authorities that they are working on the same wavelength in recognising the importance of the holistic experience offered through critical tourism destinations such as that of Sliema seafront,” the MHRA said.
What is the fuel station application?
Submitted by Michael Attard Services Ltd, the application seeks to upgrade an existing, disused fuel station including all ancillary facilities, and upgrade and refurbish its 60,000 litre underground fuel tanks.
The 76-square-metre site on Tower Road, Sliema, lies between the Plaza Hotel and the Carlton Hotel, metres away from bars and restaurants.
The applicant is also proposing to relocate two fuel dispensers, each having four nozzles supplying three different fuels, within the footprint of the existing fuel station.
Vent stacks will be replaced, a payment terminal will be relocated, bollards installed and five car parking spaces lost, including one reserved for blue badge holders.
Objectors argued that the fuel station, which has long been out of use, is extremely close to established residential, tourism and entertainment uses, making it incompatible with its surroundings. Moreover, the cars exiting from the fuel station will cause an obstacle to traffic entering the sharp bend of Old College Street.
Among the objectors is Nationalist MP and former St Julian’s mayor Albert Buttigieg, who argued that the proposed fuel station will create a greater traffic inconvenience than when it was still operational.
Now that traffic has increased, the inconvenience will be greater, he argued. Buttigieg also pointed out that there were issues of public health and safety that should be considered.