New “restrictive” guidelines on where fuel stations can be built have been issued for public consultation.
In a statement, the Planning Authority (PA) announced that it had re-issued a public consultation on the draft policy framework for fuel stations.
Activists have long lamented the slow pace at which the policy was being reviewed, holding protest marches and sit-ins at the PA offices, ever since Environment Minister José Herrera announced the government was going back to the drawing board in January 2018.
In its statement, the PA said the draft policy was being re-issued after taking into consideration the numerous submissions it had received from interested stakeholders and the public during the last public consultation period earlier this year.
What the new policy proposes
The new amended draft includes a number of changes which, the PA said will make it “more restrictive” for new fuel stations to be granted planning permission.
One of the key amendments is that for an existing fuel station to be granted planning permission to be relocated it will need to have still been in operation at the time that the development application is submitted.
Therefore, out-of-operation fuel stations will not be allowed to get relocated.
Additionally, for an existing fuel station to be moved, the applicants will have to prove that it is currently creating “negative issues of amenity, safety and transport”.
The PA said it was making it clear that this proposed framework will also be applicable those fuel station applications which have been submitted but are yet been determined.
“The new amendments make it more restrictive on where relocated fuel stations may be sited,” the statement reads.
The PA said that for an ODZ site to be considered it must already be covered by a valid development permit, or the site will have to already have been committed by development carried out before 1967.
Additionally, the committed development must not be related to agriculture or animal husbandry.
These sites, the PA said, will only be considered if a wider environmental benefit is achieved and the development is compatible with the context of the area.
Should a relocated fuel station be permitted in an ODZ area, it may not exceed the footprint of the committed area or 1,000 square meters, whichever is the smaller.
No footprint limit, however, will apply if the relocated fuel station is within the development boundary subject to neighbourhood safety and compatibility.
The revised draft policy also excludes any sites located within 15 meters of the shoreline inwards of the rural coast as designated by the relevant PA policies
How to give your feedback
The PA has invited the public to send in their submissions related to the proposed policy framework.
Submissions are to be made in writing and sent to postal address: Planning Authority, Director of Planning, St Francis Ravelin, Floriana FRN1234 or through email: FSSP_review@pa.org.mt.
The latest revised changes to the Fuel Stations Policy may be viewed on the PA’s website www.pa.org.mt/consultation. Submissions must reach the Authority by not later than November 1.