More agricultural land along Mdina Road is at risk as the Planning Authority is due decide on a proposal for a new fuel station along the Attard artery.

The application, which has been recommended for refusal, will take up 3,000 square metres of good quality agricultural land and require the destruction of six protected mature trees.

It is scheduled to be decided on Thursday - a week after planners gave the go ahead to the controversial Central Link road upgrade project in the same area, condemning 49,000 square metres of agricultural land and 549 trees.

What does the proposal entail?

The fuel station application seeks to ‘relocate’ a decommissioned kerbside facility in Valley Road, Msida, to the Attard site, which is outside development zones, including two shops, a car wash and other facilities.

It has been recommended for refusal by the Planning Authority case officer on the basis of its “excessive scale” and its impact on the rural environment.

Moreover, the application is less than 500 metres away from the nearest fuel station – the minimum required by planning policy, and within a groundwater buffer zone.

A buffer zone helps protect water quality and reduces soil erosion.

What do environmental studies suggest?

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has objected to the plans, insisting there is no justification for the “further loss of rural land and associated environmental impacts”.

An environmental study noted that while most of the site is uncultivated, a portion forms part of the Delicata Vineyard, and if not developed, the whole site could be used to cultivate vines or other crops. 

It also said dust generated during construction has the potential to affect production from the vineyard and, given the prevailing winds, agricultural production on nearby fields in the Ta’ Bert area.

According to the study, five Aleppo pines and one olive tree will be removed, with the potential for relocation described as “very limited”. While new trees will be planted, it will take “considerable time” for them to reach the same level of maturity.

Has anyone else objected?

The Attard local council has also objected to the application, which it said would be detrimental to the surrounding rural area and would lead to urban sprawl.

The decision on the application also comes amid an ongoing revision of the controversial Fuel Stations Policy, intended to reduce the burden on agricultural land.

A draft of the revised policy, not yet implemented, would reduce the maximum fuel station footprint to 1,000 square metres and increase the minimum distance between facilities to 1.5 kilometres.