Environment Minister José Herrera has admitted to a lack of agreement with Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg over the prospect of fuel stations continuing to be built outside development zones. 

Dr Herrera, however, insisted the two ministers were “98% of the way” to reaching a conclusion on the long-promised review of the Fuel Stations Policy, which he said would be completed imminently. 

The controversial 2015 policy allows fuel stations to ‘relocate’ from urban cores to up to 3,000 square metres of ODZ land. A revision announced in January 2018, intended to reduce the burden on agricultural land, has not yet been completed. 

Proposals issued last April by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), within Dr Herrera’s remit, included a complete ban on all new and relocated fuel stations on ODZ sites, but Dr Borg suggested last month that the ban may be applied only to new facilities. 

Asked whether he was satisfied with this prospect, Dr Herrera said: “We are not in complete agreement. [Dr Borg] has his priorities and I have mine, but I believe we can reach a consensus. Ideally, we would not touch a square inch of countryside, but in truth you have to be more flexible.

“There is already a strong agreement that – if in the worst case scenario you have to use ODZ because there is no other land left – the footprint should be much smaller than it was, and that it should be allowed in a very stringent manner on a case-by-case basis. 

“So we have made huge progress.”

PA bulldozing over common good and people’s well-being

Dr Herrera also told the Times of Malta he did not believe the 15-month delay in issuing the new policy had any adverse impact on the environment as no fuel stations had been approved in that time. 

In fact, two have been approved since the revision was announced, one a renewal, while six have been rejected and others withdrawn. Several new applications have also been submitted, which will all eventually be assessed under the existing, more permissive, policy. 

Moviment Graffitti activists protest delays in the fuel station policy revision at a Planning Authority hearing, in April, last year. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Meanwhile, Moviment Graffitti warned on Monday that it would be carrying out “bigger and more forceful” direct action if the policy revision was not published immediately.

The group has on two occasions so far, last April and last September, halted Planning Authority hearings on fuel station proposals in Luqa and Bulebel, arguing that no decisions should be made while the review is pending.

Graffitti accused the PA of taking the public for a ride by dragging its feet and allowing developers to continue submitting applications for ODZ fuel stations, which would then be assessed under the current policy.

“Allowing so many massive fuel stations on natural and agricultural land in a small, over-built, country like Malta is simply insane,” the group said. 

“The PA is bulldozing over the common good and the people’s well-being in order to accommodate a few wealthy individuals.”