A proposed cow farm close to the Victoria Lines, limits of Magħtab, Naxxar and a recently installed gate that was blocking access in Baħrija were both refused development permission by the Planning Commission in recent days, the Planning Authority said.

It said in a statement the cow farm and ancillary facilities were being proposed outside the development zone within an area known as Ir-Raba Ta' San Pietru, scheduled as an area of high landscape value. 

The commission agreed with the development management directorate’s recommendation that the project would have an adverse visual impact on the surrounding environment. It also ran counter to the rural policy and design guidance in that the site of the proposed farm was within the buffer zone of a source used for the abstraction of water intended for human consumption. 

A gate at il-Blata tal-Melħ blocking access to the shore was not sanctioned. Photo: Planning Authority

In a Natura 2000 site in the limits of Baħrija, the commission refused to sanction a gate that was recently installed to restrict public access leading to a shore platform known as il-Blata tal-Melħ. 

The Planning Commission said that sanctioning this gate would result in the closure of a pre-1967 footpath and, as a result, went against the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development which ensures that existing coastal recreational resources are protected, enhanced and accessible.

The PA said the Compliance and Enforcement Directorate will ensure that the gate is removed to safeguard public access.