A decision on a planning application to upgrade a disused petrol station on Sliema's Tower Road has been deferred, with the Planning Commission indicating that intends to refuse the application, going against its case officer’s recommendation. 

The application (PA 03215/20) by Michael Attard Services Ltd seeks to revive and upgrade a fuel station in Tower Road, Sliema and has garnered strong objections and concerns due to its proximity to two hotels, bars, restaurants as well as residences. 

It seeks to include ancillary facilities as well as upgrade and refurbish the underground fuel tanks of the existing filling station with a total capacity of 60,000 litres of fuel.                 

In February, the case officer recommended its approval after no objections were received from the authorities, including the Environment and Resources Authority, Transport Malta, the Regulator for Energy and Water Services, REWS, and Enemalta, among others. 

However, in a hearing on Wednesday, Planning Commission chair Stephania Baldacchino expressed reservations on a number of issues posed by approving the permit, including that the applicant does not appear to hold a valid operating license for the location as well as the potential impact on traffic and the surroundings in general. 

PN MP and former St Julian’s mayor Albert Buttigieg spoke as an objector during the hearing and said that it would be “insanity” to approve such an application for a fuel station that has not been in use “for over 12 years”. 

Referring to a statement made by the Malta Hotel and Restaurant Association opposing the development, Buttigieg said that it went “against all common sense” to allow the fuel station to start operating again in the midst of a bustling tourism hotspot and seemingly flying in the face of national efforts to upgrade the local tourism product. 

Buttigieg said that policies for fuel stations say that these must be located at least 12 metres away from the public through a properly established boundary, however, as proposed, the fuel station would be “barely two metres away from people’s balconies”. The proximity to residences and hotels also raises the question of how public health will be maintained in the context of the fumes generated by the underground tanks, he said. 

Buttigieg also criticised Transport Malta for not insisting on a traffic management report for the application, given that the area is known to be heavily congested by traffic and sees many different bus routes making frequent stops. Additionally, the fuel station will take up five parking spaces, including one disability parking space, he said. 

Other objectors who reside in the area spoke about how the operator does not appear to have a valid license for that fuel station and that allowing 60,000 litres of fuel to be stored so close to residences is like “putting a bomb under the road”. 

Project architect Chris Cachia disagreed with objectors, saying that the fuel station is pre-existing and that original permits had granted the applicant rights that cannot be simply taken away. He insisted that his client had told him that he had always paid for his license despite its disuse and that issues regarding traffic and space sharing with nearby businesses have existed since the permit was first issued in the 1970s. 

However, Planning Commission Chair Stephania Baldacchino raised a number of concerns about the application, saying that the records submitted by the applicant did not indicate that they have held a continuous operating license on the site.

While the fuel station policy did make provisions for fuel stations operating from within certain areas of the development zone to be moved, given the surrounding context of the site in question as well as the radical change in traffic congestion since the permit was first approved, she said that “it is not an appropriate area to permit a fuel station”. 

Commission member Anthony Camilleri also raised concerns about how much space a proposed firewall at the back of the pumps would encroach on a heavily trafficked pavement, as well as submitted drawings appearing to show ventilation pipes for the fuel tanks jutting out at street level.

Baldacchino deferred a decision on the application to June 14, saying that in the meantime the commission intends to submit in writing its reasons for refusal, which include issues with traffic management and safety as well as planning policies that hold that such a development should enhance the character and amenity of the urban area.