The Planning Authority is considering two applications for snail farms, with one of them planning to export up to 37 tons of snails annually.
One is proposed adjacent to a home for the elderly on the outskirts of Għargħur and the other is planned among residences in Burmarrad.
The Għargħur site covers an area of more than 10,400 square metres between Tal-Balal and Triq Murray.
The application was filed by Louie Camilleri on behalf of Cammast Properties Ltd. He is the owner of Camilleri Snails Ltd. The proposal is for several greenhouses for snail farming and an agricultural store covered in PV panels, among other works.
The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) concluded that the environmental impacts of the proposal were “unlikely to be significant” so no environment impact assessment is required.
No environmental objections
The ERA did not object to the proposal from an environmental point of view, subject to the implementation of mitigation measures and “pre-emptive safeguards” throughout both construction and operational phases of the proposed development.
The proposal is for the snail farm to be spread over 11 greenhouses clustered into two groups.
These will occupy an area of just under 4,200 square metres and will be 3.6 metres high.
Over 160 metres of rubble walls will be lost during the development of the farm. The remaining walls will be repaired and reinstated.
Ten almond trees, four olive trees and one citrus tree will be relocated within the site while four clumps of prickly pears will be removed.
ERA drew the same conclusion when screening the other application submitted by Health Minister Chris Fearne’s daughter, Dawn, an architect, on behalf of her client Jason Muscat.
In a report submitted on Friday, the authority concluded that the environmental impacts of the proposal were unlikely to be significant.
Snail caviar farm
Muscat is proposing an underground snail caviar farm and the restoration of a retaining rubble wall. The farm aims to cater for the high-end local market, where snail caviar is in high demand in expensive restaurants as well as potential European markets.
The project is being proposed on a field behind Sherries Garden Centre, in Burmarrad, and is surrounded by residences who in objections to the proposal said the snail farm did not need to be outside development zone but could easily be transferred to an industrial zone since all it requires is a “controlled climate”.
One resident said that the design of the proposed development does not respect its rural context and “would fit perfectly well in an industrial estate, but certainly not in a rural ambience”.
The St Paul’s Bay Local Council also objected to the planned snail farm.