Mqabba quarry one step closer to getting a crusher

A planning application to install a debris crusher in an Mqabba quarry has been recommended for approval after ERA and Transport Malta filed their no objections to the plans.

If approved, application PA/00350/22 will permit quarry owners to use a crusher to grind debris for eventual recycling, build garages to park construction vehicles and develop an underground reservoir and cesspit.

Residents say they fear the crusher will generate fine dust that is detrimental to their health as well as excessive noise, saying the quarry is close to a residential area.

They also pointed out that a secondary school is very close to the site. 

But the environmental regulator, ERA, has raised no objections and told the Planning Authority that an Environmental Impact Screening concluded that “an Environmental Impact Assessment is not required in view that the proposal is not likely to have a significant impact on the environment.”

Transport Malta initially objected to the application, filed by Maurizio Psaila, on the basis that dust generated by the crusher would affect planes landing and taking off from the airport nearby.

It subsequently dropped that objection after the applicant presented a plan to suppress dust from the crusher – by housing it in a warehouse in the quarry and installing a fine mist dust suppression system to prevent particles from going airborne.

“Should airborne dust particles not be sufficiently suppressed, additional measures shall be implemented such as installing curtain(s) around the crusher,” the applicant stated.

In a letter, the architect responsible for the project, Chris Cachia, added that “the physical structure of a quarry, which is below ground level, can help contain noise and dust within the site, minimizing the environmental impact on surrounding areas.”

A Planning Authority case officer assigned to the application gave it the green light last week.

“The proposed interventions are related to the operations of the site and proposed mitigation measures prevent any nuisance arising from the operations and ensure that activities are carried out in line with regulations in force. The proposal is therefore being positively considered,” the assigned case officer concluded.

The site is close to Mqabba's Urban Conservation Area. Photo: Google Maps

The case officer noted that the proposal is in line with government policies to reuse construction waste and promote waste recycling.

Objectors say they also fear the installation of a crusher will lead to more traffic in the area due to more frequent truck trips to and from the quarry.

Transport Malta believes the opposite is true and that trips will reduce – from around 67 currently to around 24 a day – once the crusher is operational and part of the quarry is converted to a solar farm, which the applicant already has planning permission to do.

Objectors have till Thursday to submit their representations.